Seven Days of Sight
by WriterJosi
Summary: Aang discovers he can take people with him into the Spirit World. But When Toph accidentally crosses over, something big happens. There she meets Oma and Shu, the first earthbenders, and they offer her a deal - seven days of sight, for seven days without earthbending. Toph takes the deal, and gets to see for the first time in her life. Everything's canon, and lots of friendship.
1. Spirit Travel

**Hey all. This is my very first fanfiction, so I'm still not quite sure how everything works. Writing criticism is accepted, because I know I'm not very good, and I need to improve. Although if you're going to tell me what I did wrong, at least tell me how to fix it.**

**This first chapter is sorta Kataang I guess you would say, not much Toph. I basically needed to explain how Aang crossed over, and put a few things in perspective. This is set after the Hundred Year's War, and it follows a bit of The Promise, but not exactly.**

**If you could give me pointers on how to do things with publishing, let me know, I'd appreciate it. Thanks :)**

**DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do. **

* * *

Aang would never forget the first time he'd travelled into the spirit world with someone.

The Gaang had taken a short vacation to Ember Island, in a hopeful attempt to get away from their duties in the real world. Zuko was stressed, having taken on a boatload of responsibilities as new Firelord. Toph had been training her students hard at her new metalbending school. Sokka was visiting Suki at Kyoshi Island. Aang and Katara had been travelling the world, doing their best to restore balance back to the chaos Firelord Ozai had created.

The seven of them – including Mai – had miraculously managed to get three days off from their busy lives, and had travelled to the one place where they could forget all of their troubles – Ember Island.

It had been their last day on vacation. The next day they would go back to the world of people, responsibility, work, etc. Everyone else was packing up to go, but Aang was relaxing on the beach with Katara.

They were sitting in the shore, the two of them coated with sand from a long day at the beach. The sun was going down. The waves sloshed against the shore. Aang sat next to Katara, holding her hand, listening to the stillness.

"I don't ever want to leave," Katara said, as her hair loops pushed back by the gentle breeze.

Aang held onto her hand tighter. It was still difficult to believe that they were dating now, after all they had went through, they were finally together.

"The sky looks amazing," Aang replied, smiling at the sunset. He thought about taking his glider and flying her up in the sky, but he didn't want to lose the moment.

"I feel…so…relaxed."

As she said those words, Aang's eyes closed. Without even realizing it, he was meditating. It was hard for him to meditate without his legs crossed and hands together, but with Katara by his side, he could do it subconsciously.

Little did he know, he had slipped into the Avatar State. He didn't know that he had crossed over into the spirit world. Only later would he discover that his eyes and airbender tattoos had begun to glow. Only later would he realize that Katara's eyes had glowed too, as she slipped into the spirit world with him, too.

He still heard the waves of the beach. He still felt Katara's hand next to him. But the atmosphere had changed. He couldn't feel the sunset. When Aang opened his eyes, he was surprised to not be at Ember Island, but in the spirit world.

He was even more surprised to find Katara there with him.

"Where are we?" she asked, suddenly getting to her feet. "What happened?"

Aang gasped. "We're in the spirit world."

He threw his hand out in an attempt to send a blast of air, but nothing happened.

"No bending?" Katara asked.

"Nope."

Katara began to panic. "How did this happen? Is this even possible? Get us out of here!"

Aang scowled and looked around him. "I don't see our bodies. Usually when I'm in the spirit world, I'm on a mission. Now we're just…here."

"But…where is here, exactly?"

They were standing on a circular platform, surrounded by water and jungle trees. It looked like the swamp they had landed in a few years back, just before they'd found Toph. Animals were creaking. A blue spirit rushed by, zipping by them at flashing speed.

Katara grabbed his arm. "I'm scared," she said. "This place is creepy. How did we get here? How do we get out of here?"

Aang thought for a moment. "I'm…not sure. We were on the beach; just relaxing…I guess I slipped into the Avatar State. And since you were touching me…"

"I travelled with you?" Katara asked. "That doesn't make sense. I thought only the Avatar could go into the spirit world."

"Well, the Avatar is the bridge between the mortal world and the spirit world. I guess…I guess I brought you here, since I'm a bridge." Aang laughed at the thought.

Katara couldn't help but smile. "Well, how do we get out of here?"

"Not quite sure…" Aang did a small smile. "But we could… Oh, never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What is it?"

Aang blushed. "Well, we're alone, you know. For the first time in weeks. We could…hang out. We don't have to go back just yet. Just for a little while."

Katara couldn't help but smile. "As you wish, oh Mystical Great Bridge."

The two of them explored the spirit world together, talking, laughing, just like old times. Aang introduced her to Habi and the other spirits he'd met on the way. He tried to find Roku, but for some reason his past life wasn't around. As they explored, they talked. About each other, as well as the future. Things they hadn't had time to discuss, because they'd never been alone.

It was probably two hours later when they returned to the platform, finding their bodies, just like they'd left them.

"How do we do this?" Katara asked. "Just step in?"

"You'd better hold my hand," Aang suggested. "Just in case."

They slipped back into their bodies, waking up in the mortal world, back on the beach. Sokka, Toph, Suki, Zuko, and Mai stood in front of them, looking surprised and concerned.

"You're back!" Sokka cried, yanking his sister off the ground and hugging her. "You scared me half to death!"

"Eugh. Stop, it Sokka! You're smothering me."

Katara released herself from her brother's grasp and helped Aang up.

Zuko analyzed the two of them with his amber eyes, hiding underneath his dark shag of hair. "What happened?" he demanded. "You two were missing for five hours. When we came to the beach…"

"Aang was in the Avatar State," Suki finished for him. "Katara, your eyes were glowing too."

"They were?" Katara asked, surprised.

"We couldn't wake you," Sokka explained, giving Aang a suspicious look. "No matter what we tried."

"It was kind of nice," Toph put in. "Not listening to Twinkle Toes and Sugar Queen sweet talk all over each other. Finally some freaking silence. Next time take Sokka with you."

Mai did a chuckle, the most emotion they'd had from her in weeks.

Sokka scowled. "I had had no idea what happened, I thought you two had died or something."

"We're okay," Aang said, dusting the sand off himself.

Zuko gave Aang a suspicious look. "What did happen?" the Firelord asked.

Aang and Katara retold their story, how Aang had somehow gone into the spirit world, and taken Katara with him. They retold the part of them spending time together, and twisted it into them exploring and trying to find their bodies, which wasn't a complete lie.

"So you can spirit travel with someone?" Zuko asked, surprised. "That's new. I've been reading over my grandfather's history, Avatar Roku. I've been trying to find out some information about bringing balance to the four nations, and some of his wisdom has helped."

Zuko pulled back his hair over his scar. "He's also mentioned some things about being the Avatar, and the spirit world. You should read it over. He never mentioned anything about taking someone with him, though… I guess he never tried."

Aang shrugged. "Well, I have no idea how I did it. I guess we were both just so relaxed, and since we were touching each other, we both slipped in together."

"No matter," Sokka said, swiping his hand across the air. "We're on a schedule, and we're already behind having to look for you two. We should pack up our things on Appa and leave."

Everyone else nodded in agreement, and Team Avatar dispersed, all heading to get their things. Aang and Katara waited before leaving. They stared out at the sea together, in mutual silence.

"That was nice," Katara said, slipping her hand in his. "I wouldn't mind doing it again."

Aang squeezed her hand tightly. "I think we've just found our new way of getting some alone time."

The two of them trailed back to retrieve their things, packing up to head home.


	2. Untimely crosssing

**Hello! (:**

**Awesome, thanks for the review(s) and follows! I appreciate it. **

**Here's chapter two to get it going. I'll probably put number 3 up tomorrow, where Toph makes her deal. I only have about half the idea of where this story's going, honestly. I've been toying with the idea for awhile, fighting on whether or not to put it up. But I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, and I'm going to figure out how to make it work.**

**Writing blindly. Been doing it my whole life.**

**Thanks again. Read and review, please! :D**

******DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do.**

* * *

After the Ember Island trip, the Gaang didn't see each other for six months. Aang and Katara had been travelling all over the world, working with Zuko when they could, while Aang fulfilled his Avatar duties. Sokka was helping Suki at Ember Island. Toph continued with her metalbending school. Zuko was almost going haywire, trying to keep all over the fire nation in line. At the end of the day only Mai could keep him sane.

Aang and Katara were sometimes separated, but when they were together, Aang would slip them both into the spirit world – the only place they could be alone. It scared some of their advisors, seeing the two of them glow up and become incoherent. They began to have guards watch over them when they spirit travelled; another way to keep them from being alone.

The seven of them overlapped in their journeys. Aang and Zuko stopped by Toph's place. Katara and Sokka reunited to visit their dad. Mai visited Ember Island to see TyLee and Suki. The seven were busy with their duties, and after six straight months, Sokka decided it was time for another vacation.

Communicating via messenger hawk, the seven managed to get seven days of vacation at the Western Air Temple. They put up a campsite at a spring by the Temple, reuniting, laughing, and talking. Just like old times.

Toph was excited to have the Gaang back together. It'd been months since she's seen –well, felt – her friends. Running a metalbending school wasn't easy. Her students were struggling. Some had grasped the concept easily. Others just couldn't get it. Most of them were weak little pansies, while a few were stubborn and bullheaded. One student had gotten into a shouting match with her last week – Toph had proved him wrong, and buried him in an avalanche of metal and earth. Teach him to back sass her.

Now she was back with her friends, away from pansy students. From what she could feel, everyone seemed to have changed since the battle against Ozai.

Twinkle Toes felt taller. Almost the same height as Katara. His voice had deepened a bit too, but only just enough for just her to notice.

Sugar Queen had gotten a bit tougher, and seemed a bit more laid-back now. She'd been like that ever since Aang took her to the spirit world.

Sokka had gained weight. Well, not necessarily weight. He was filling out – getting muscles. He claimed to have been working out, and Toph had felt his biceps – he was getting stronger and taller. Although she could still beat him up with her hands behind her back.

Zuko's voice sounded like he was on edge, as usual. She could tell the pressure from running a nation was taking a toll on him.

Suki and Mai were about the same, although they'd suddenly become friends. Complete opposites, those two. Suki was perky and happy. Mai was gloomy and rather annoying. Neither of them were tough like her, but Toph could deal with them.

After a good night's rest, Katara announced they were going to a crystal cave behind a waterfall. Something about a rainbow and the sky with reflecting water or whatever. Everyone sounded excited, and began packing some things for the trip.

Toph scowled. This did not sound like her type of trip.

"I'll just stay behind," she grumbled, fiddling with her space earth bracelet. "Rainbows aren't my style…whatever rainbows are."

"Are you sure?" Suki asked her, shouldering her pack. "I know you can't see, but…we haven't seen you in six months. We've missed you."

Toph shrugged, pretending to sound aloof. "I need to practice some earthbending. Maybe I'll catch up with you later."

Her friends left, headed to see some fantastic sight that she would never know about. Toph kicked the ground, causing a bough of earth currents to spread out beneath her.

"Stupid," she muttered, swiping her hair out of her face.

Toph left the campsite and reached a nice, rocky valley. She began earthbending, stomping her feet, shooting rocks, and fighting imaginary enemies in frustration.

Being blind had never really bothered Toph. When she was really young, it was frustrating, realizing people had an advantage over her. Then she ran away to those caves, where the badger moles had taught her earthbending.

Suddenly, _she_ had the advantage.

She could sense and feel things that nobody could see with the naked eye. She felt, she sensed, she saw. People thought she was helpless for being blind. But in truth, she thought everyone else was helpless. Only able to see and understand what your eyes can take in, as far as they could go. Her "sight" could stretch quite a ways, and had quite depth. It was different.

Being blind never bothered her.

Until times like this.

She started to wonder what life would be like if she _could_ see. What was color? What did her friends look like? How did that fifth sense work, the sense that she'd never had?

Sometimes it saddened her that she couldn't see. That she would never be able know what things looked like, or see her friends.

Toph fiddled with her space bracelet. She began shifting it into different shapes, just like she did when she was annoyed or bored. Toph touched her eye. It was weirdly shaped, kind of like a teardrop. She molded her space earth into the shape of an eye, and held it in front of her face.

"Stupid," she muttered again, turning it back into a bracelet and slapping on her arm. "Seeing is for wimps."

She began to earthbend again, but something stopped her in her tracks.

What was that sound?

It sounded like something buzzing. She shifted her feet around, trying feel for something that was hiding from her. She waited and listened. Waited and listened. Waited and listened. Like she was always taught to do.

Nothing.

The buzzing continued, and Toph then realized it was coming from above her.

She cursed. It was flying. Of course it was flying.

Not knowing where or what it was and deciding not to take her chances, Toph headed back towards camp. She missed her friends. There was no need to be out here sulking like her pansy students. She created an earth wave and roared back to the campsite.

But the buzzing was still behind her.

What _was_ that?

She turned and rode her earth wave backwards, shooting a few rocks, trying to hit the thing coming after her. Whatever it was, it was pretty smart, because the buzzing continued as it dodged her attacks.

Toph faced forward again, willing her earth wave to go faster. The sound was gaining on her. Toph flew rock after rock behind her, riding her wave as fast as she could. The buzzing kept coming closer.

WOOSH!

A weird sound erupted from behind her, and Toph felt something sharp strike her in the back. She screamed and tumbled off her earth wave, flipping, rolling, and flying a few yards in the air. She landed hard and rolled, but quickly got up to her feet.

Something sharp had embedded itself in her lower back. She ran her hands along it. Something had stuck her. A bee sting? It must have been one large bee. She growled in frustration, sending out a wave of rocks around her.

Bitter silence.

The sting must've been poison. Her senses were beginning to dull. Sounds were getting fuzzy... If she didn't get to camp fast she'd start acting like Sokka on cactus juice.

Toph started running towards camp. It was a quarter of a mile away, as far as she could feel. She ran faster. She had to get to camp before she dropped.

* * *

The Gaang had a great time at the crystal catacombs, but it wasn't really the Gaang without Toph. The six headed back to camp after checking out the sights. Suki was talking to Katara and Mai. Sokka and Zuko were in a fight, sword VS broadswords. Mai was taking a nap. And Aang – of course – was meditating.

Aang had split off a bit from the group. He wished Katara was with her, but he needed some alone time, even if it was just twenty minutes. He was in his meditating pose, his eyes closed, focusing on his spiritual self.

"Ohmmm," he mumbled, trying to focus." Ohm…."

* * *

Toph stumbled through the woods, going as fast as she could. The buzzing sound was gone. She was getting closer to camp and – wait, what was that? Somebody was there. She ran in the direction of the person, and sighed in relief when she realized it was Aang.

He was sitting in the ground, perhaps meditating. He was still far away. She ran faster, her heart pumping fast. Her hearing was getting lower. She stumbled and caught herself with and earth brace.

"Aang," she mumbled, running. He was just a few yards away from her now. "Aang…"

All of the sounds around her disappeared. Her feet slipped from the ground. She began falling; face first, right on top of Aang.

Toph blacked out.

* * *

Aang wasn't sure what had happened. He was sitting on the ground, meditating, and was just moments away from getting into the spirit world. The sounds around him began to disappear. The world was slowly shifting out of focus…

"Oomph!"

Aang grunted as someone collapsed on him, right into his lap. He jerked his eyes opened, but he wasn't in the forest clearing anymore.

The good thing – he in the spirit world.

The surprising thing – he wasn't alone. Again.

Toph Beifong was sprawled in his lap, and from what he could tell, she was just about as confused as he was. Toph sat up, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She pushed herself off of Aang and stood.

Toph's mind raced as she got up. She couldn't see! She tapped her foot on the ground. She knew was standing on earth, but she couldn't feel anything. Her bending – it was gone! Where was she? Was she alone? Was she alone? What happened?"

"What's going on?" she demanded, spinning around. "Am I dead? Why can't I see?"

"No," Aang said, jumping to his feet. "You're with me, Toph we're in the spirit world."

Toph's mind raced. _Spirit world? Spirit world?!_ How did she get in the spirit world?

"You fell on me?" Aang asked her. "I was meditating."

"Oh no," Toph said, shaking her head. "No, no, no. It can't be."

"Did you take a nap on me or something?" he asked her. From what she could hear Aang was standing right in front of her. "Because you usually can't cross over unless you're relaxed."

Toph hastily explained the buzzing sound, how it had stung her, and how she'd passed out.

"You must've crossed over with me when you passed out," Aang reasoned. "Are you okay?"

Toph felt her back. The sting wasn't there. Then again, she was in the spirit world. Things were different here.

"I'm fine," Toph grunted. "But how do we get out of here, Twinkle Toes? I'm useless without my bending. Where are our bodies?"

Aang did a three-sixty. He looked at Toph, concerned for his friend. "I'm not sure," he said quietly. "But I guess we're going to have to find out."


	3. The Deal

**Hello again!**

**I feel like Christmas just happend. Reviews - follows - favorites - YAY! I practically squeal every time it reaches my inbox. Thanks a bunch everyone, I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read this.**

**This chapter is where Toph makes the deal. The next chapter is where Toph gets to see for the first time. I'm really excited to write it, it's a topic I'm surprised nobody has ever done before, or at least that's what I can tell.**

**It's difficult for me to write Toph, because it's hard to write a character who doesn't isn't like us. I mean, trying to get into her feelings and thoughts and the way she "sees" and understands things is difficult. I'm trying to get deep into the fact of her being blind, and explain the concepts she doesn't know. She has no perception of beauty, or colors, or light or dark. When she finally does see, things are sure going to come as a shock for her.**

**Anyway, I suppose the end is a cliffhanger, but I'm going to scribble up another chapter for today or tomorrow.**

**Read and review, please, and don't be afraid to tell me if something needs fixing!**

******DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do.**

* * *

Aang wasn't used to Toph needing help.

When he had first met her, she about kicked his butt in that fighting ring. At least until he got a lucky shot with an airbending move. Since the moment that he'd met her, Aang knew not to underestimate Toph. She was strong, blunt, and tough. She could take care of herself.

Now, for the first time in his life, Toph Beifong needed help. First she walked straight into a pool of water. Then she'd run into a tree. And now she'd just stubbed her toe on the stairs. She was grumbling and cursing. It reminded Aang of that time in the desert, where she was stuck in the sand and couldn't feel anything.

"I hate this," she complained, as Aang took her by the arm and led her through the spirit world. "I'm strong. I'm a fighter. I can take care of myself. Let go of me – I can handle this!"

"Toph, relax," Aang said, keeping a hold on her arm. "I know you can take care of yourself, but the spirit world isn't like home, and your position has been compromised. Let me help you…for now."

Toph grumbled, complaining and moaning as they walked. She couldn't feel anything, and it was horrible. It was just like before she learned earthbending, back at her parent's home. Everyone did everything for her, as if she was helpless. But she wasn't. Just…compromised, as Aang had said.

"How much further?" Toph whined. "Do you see our bodies anywhere?"

"Not yet," Aang said. "Ugh, this place is so confusing. I wish I had Roku."

"What's in front of us?" Toph asked.

Aang squinted ahead. "A path. It's narrow, and there's water on each side."

"Doesn't sound like my kind of place."

Aang stopped in his tracks, staring straight ahead. His senses began tingling. Something was down there. Someone. They needed to talk to someone. Two people. They were waiting.

Aang flinched as the world disappeared, and something crossed his vision. Roku was flying toward him, on his dragon.

"Go," he said.

Aang opened his eyes. "We need to go down there."

"Why?" Toph asked. "I can't swim, and a narrow path without seeing or feeling doesn't sound like my kind of thing."

"I think…we're supposed to go there. Roku…I think I saw Roku."

Toph sighed, blowing a piece of hair out of her face. "Whatever you say, oh mystical Avatar."

Aang put Toph in front of her, and steered her on where to go from behind. She took each step carefully, trying to sense the ground at her feet, but it was difficult without her bending. The path seemed to go on forever. She almost slipped into the water, but Aang pulled her back up. When they reached the end, Toph froze.

"What is it?" Aang asked.

Toph scowled. "I feel…rumbling."

"How can you feel that without your – oh." Aang stopped. "I do feel something."

Toph rolled her eyes. Stupid eye-seeing people. Even without her bending her other four senses were better than an average person's.

"What's in front of us?" Toph asked, reaching her hand out.

"A cave," Aang replied. "It looks like the cave Sokka, Katara and I went through on our way to Omashu. The cave of the two lovers."

Toph puffed out her cheeks pretending to barf. "We're together at a love cave? Gross."

Aang blushed. "Well, we're not actually in the cave…"

"Stop your blubbering Twinkle Toes. What _is_ that rumbling?"

Abruptly, the earth beneath them shifted. Two walls of rock shot out from the ground on either sides of the kids, and shoved the two of them together. Two more walls came in from in front and behind them. Another came in from above, until Aang and Toph were locked inside a giant cube of earth.

"What's going on?" Toph demanded. "What happened? We're moving!"

The box of earth shot forward, straight into the Cave of Two Lovers. A small piece of rock fell off of the cube – a small peephole for Aang to see.

Aang peered outside the cube. They were moving at rapid speed, turning this way and that in the labyrinth of tunnels. The crystals on the ceiling flew by in a blur.

"We're in some sort of cube," Aang said, touching the earthen box with his hand. "We're in the cave, moving. I think…I think someone wants us."

Toph crossed her arms. "That's reassuring. Who?"

"I'm not quite sure," Aang said, looking out the peephole.

"Are you sure of anything?"

"Not quite sure. I mean, yes. I mean…" Aang laughed. "Um…I guess we'll find out when we get there."

The two of them waited as the box shifted through the tumbles, left, right, up, and down. The ride was bumpy and confusing. Sometimes Aang wondered if they'd flipped upside down. When the box finally stopped moving, it split open. Rocks flew out from all around them, exploding in every direction.

When Aang opened his eyes, he realized they were in the tomb room – the room he and Katara had found. There was a circular slab of concrete in the middle of the room, and two coffins sat on top of them. Balls of fire danced all around the room, dimly lighting it. Crystals lined the ceiling, reflecting off the coffins, and setting off a beautiful glow.

And they weren't alone.

"What's going on?" Toph asked. "Where are we?"

Aang couldn't speak. Standing in front of them were two spirits.

One of them was a woman. She had long, dark hair, flowing down her shoulders. She wore red dress, which looked faded due to her flickering form. The other spirit was a man wearing blue robes, and his hair was tied up in a topknot – earthbending style.

"What's going on?" Toph demanded again. "Speak to me, Twinkletoes!"

The woman spirit spoke. "Show your respect, if you wish to speak with us."

Aang did a bow. "Toph," he said quietly. "There are two spirits in front of us. Show your respect, and maybe they'll explain what's going on."

"Toph Beifong bows to no one!" she roared defiantly.

The male spirit scowled in disapproval.

"Toph," Aang whispered. "Please, bow. Just once. These are spirits we're dealing with."

Toph scowled, and then bowed reluctantly. Unfortunately, she wasn't facing the spirits, and she bowed to a wall. Aang turned her towards the spirits and she bowed again.

"My name is Oma," the woman said.

"I am Shu," the man announced.

"We are the first earthbenders," they said in unison.

Toph's blind eyes widened. "The first earthbenders? How –"

Aang bowed again. "It is an honor, Oma and Shu. My name is Aang. I'm the avatar. This is my friend – "

"We know who she is," Oma said. The spirit smiled. "Toph Beifong."

Toph stared blankly in front of her, wishing she could see who these spirits were. Oma and Shu? _The_ Oma and Shu? How did they get here? And how did they know who she was?

"Why did you bring us here?" Aang asked, confused. "And how did you know who Toph was? And how is this cave in the spirit world?"

_Thank-you, Twinkletoes_, Toph thought.

"We are spirits," Shu stated. "We have recreated our cave in the spirit world, and made it our home."

"We were given high honor for being the first earthbenders," Oma added. "We are able watch things that go on in the mortal world. And we have been watching you, Toph Beifong."

Toph's mind racing. Watching her? "Why?" she asked, confused. "How?"

"Earthbending is strong," Shu said. "As the avatar very well knows, everything is connected. Our earthbending is so strong; we are able to tell when a very powerful earthbender is born. We have a connection. We watch those who are strong, and keep them safe in their journeys."

"But why me?" Toph asked, confused. "I know I'm strong. But…?"

"You are very special, Toph Beifong," Oma said. "You didn't learn to earthbend to fight like most people do. You learned to earthbend as a way of survival. You use earthbending as a fifth sense. You are blind, just like the badgermoles are. You are deeply connected to our ancestors, the badgermoles, who created earthbending. You should be treated with honor among all earthbenders, Toph Beifong, for your bending is one of the strongest and ancient ever know to man."

Toph was stunned. She knew her earthbending was powerful, of course. But high honor? Ancient? This was new to her.

"Why did you bring us here?" Aang asked the spirits.

Oma and Shu looked at each other. Aang swore they were having some sort of conversation in their heads, some unspoken talk that nobody could hear.

Shu spoke. "We are prepared to offer you a deal, Ms. Beifong, for your outstanding accomplishment."

"A deal?" Toph asked, edging forward. "With a spirit?"

"Yes," Oma said. "A temporary deal. A gift, if you wish to accept."

Toph turned to Aang. "What should I do?" she whispered. "I've never been here before, and now some spirits are making me an offer."

"Most spirits are helpful," Aang whispered. "Let's see what they have to say."

Toph turned in the direction of the spirits. "Okay," she said. "What is this deal, oh great spirits?"

Oma took a deep breath "Toph Beifong, we wish to offer you seven days of sight, in return for seven days without earthbending."

Toph's ears rang.

Did she just hear them correctly? Seven days of _sight_? As in, to actually _see_? To know what her best friend looked like, as well as the rest of team avatar? To be able to see the world, colors, mountains, skies, seas, and everything else she'd never seen?

In return for seven days without her bending?

Toph stared blankly at the two spirits. "How…how does this work?" she asked, interested.

"Simple," Shu said, floating next to Oma. "We have the power to give you sight. But in return, you give us your earthbending."

"Why do you need my earthbending?" Toph asked, confused.

"An exchange," Oma replied. "You get to see, something you have never done before. In return, we will be able to experience your earthbending – strong, ancient, and powerful."

Aang couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked at his friend. "Toph –" he began.

"I'll do it," Toph said.

Aang quickly pulled Toph aside. "Are you sure? I know it'd be great to see anything, but seven days without bending? Are you sure you can do this?"

Toph closed her eyes. "Aang, every day I get to hear you guys fawn over sights and colors and everything you see in this world. I've grown used to seeing nothing, but I've always wondered what it would be like to see things, the way you guys do. I mean, I have no idea what you look like, Aang. I might never get an opportunity like this. I have to take it."

Aang pursed his lips. "Okay," he said quietly.

Toph turned to face the spirits – but faced the wall instead, once again. Aang turned her towards Oma and Shu.

"Do you agree?" Shu asked.

"Yes," Toph said. "I agree."

Oma and Shu floated in front of Toph. "Seven days of sight," the two spirits said in unison. "In exchange for seven days without earthbending. This has been decreed."

Aang covered his eyes a glow of spirit magic erupted from the three earthbenders. He covered his eyes as the light exploded, sending him back, tumbling over one of the coffins. The light grew brighter. He put his over his eyes and curled into a ball, trying to shield himself from the power.

Toph gasped as the spirits touched her heart simultaneously. Her heart began to beat, pump, and ache. Her eyes began to hurt. Her senses went into overdrive, and then exploded. Then…everything was gone.

Aang felt like his body had been ripped apart and jammed back together. He felt like every living thing in the entire world had screamed and then gone silent. He felt like he was falling a hundred mile per hour, and then…floating.

When Aang finally opened his eyes, he wasn't inside the cave anymore. He was outside, back at the entrance. Toph was right next to him, passed out. Standing in front of him was Oma and Shu. They glowed with power, and looked down at him.

"See your friend back to the physical world," Oma said. "And return once the seven days are up."

Shu motioned toward the unconscious Toph. "She will awake soon once you've entered the mortal world, and when she does, she will have sight. Be warned – this is a difficult and nervous journey for her. And for us as well."

Oma said, "Your bodies are at the platform where you first travelled. Go, and return."

Aang stood hastily and bowed. There was another bright flash, and the spirits were gone.

* * *

Aang was grateful Toph was light.

Trying to navigate the spirit world alone was scary enough, but having to carry an unconscious, twelve-year old girl made it even more difficult. He held on to Toph tightly, getting a full-scale workout as he walked through the spirit world. Toph wasn't moving. Her eyes didn't open. For a second Aang thought she wasn't breathing, but was relieved when she took a deep breath.

When he finally made it back to the platform, their bodies were waiting. Aang set Toph down with her body, still holding onto her, and then stepped into his own.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the mortal world, the Gaang was freaking out.

Katara had gone to look for Aang, and almost had a coronary when she'd found him in the woods. There he was, sitting in his meditating pose, eyes and tattoos glowing.

And there was Toph, unconscious in his lap, he usually blank eyes glowing as well. She didn't know what to do. She had run back to camp, gotten the rest of the Gaang, and brought them back to where Aang and Toph were.

"What happened?" Sokka demanded, wiping blood of his cheek from an unfortunate training accident with Zuko. "How did they get like this?"

Katara frowned. "I wouldn't be bringing you here if I knew, smart one."

"It looks like Toph fell," Zuko said, quietly examining the two of them. "And they…crossed over together?"

"What's that on her back?" Suki asked.

Katara knelt and looked at Toph's back. She gasped. "Something stung her!"

Mai got a closer look. "Looks like one of those buzzard bees. It isn't poisonous, but it causes immediate deep sleep. Looks like Toph got hit by one," she said in a monotone.

"Where'd you learn that?" Zuko asked his girlfriend.

"I do more than sharpen my knives."

Katara patched Toph up with her healing abilities. The rest of the Gaang watched, talking amongst themselves, confused.

They waited for two hours, bringing some supplies from camp, sitting on bedrolls, watching, waiting. No one dared to move their bodies.

Katara was about to give up on watching when the glow stopped. Aang's eyes opened.

* * *

When Aang opened his eyes, all of his friends were in front of him. Katara gave him a hug, and started to help him to his feet, but she stopped when she realized Toph wasn't moving.

"What's going on?" Katara asked. "What happened?"

Toph was lying on her back, eyes closed, unconscious. Aang made sure she was okay, and then began to explain the story. Toph falling into the spirit world. Oma and Shu. Seven days of sight. The Gaang listened to him, astonished by the insane tale.

"So…she'll be able to see?" Katara asked in wonder.

Aang nodded. "She should be waking up soon."

"Give her some space," Sokka suggested, backing everyone else off. "We need to make sure we don't freak her out."

The Gaang stood back from Toph, except for Katara, Aang, and Sokka. The trio sat down next to her, and waited expectantly. Aang and Katara held each of her hands. Slowly, she began to stir.

PAGE BREAK

Toph was scared.

And being scared was something that didn't happen easily for her. The two spirits – Oma and Shu – had just granted her the gift of sight. She had blacked out after she'd felt their magic, but now she was slowly beginning to wake up.

Memories flooded her. Her first encounter with Aang. Fighting with Katara. Jumping warships with Sokka and Suki. Inviting Zuko to the group. Meeting Mai.

_When you open your eyes, you will be able to see_, Oma said in her mind. _You will see the way others see, for very first time in her life. Wake, Toph Beifong. A new world awaits._

She awoke. Two people were holding her hands. Somebody was near her. She sat up, feeling aches run up and down her body.

"Toph." It was Katara's voice. She was holding her right hand "Toph, it's okay, we're here."

Toph began to shake. What was it like to see? What was the world like behind the dark, dingy aura she was used to? Her mind raced. What were colors? What was beautiful? What was ugly? What was light? What was dark? What awaited her, for the very second she opened her eyes?

"It's okay, Toph," Aang said, holding her left hand. "You can open your eyes."

Toph kept her eyes squeezed shut. "I'm scared," she admitted, tremors shooting through her body.

"You can do it, Toph," Sokka said. "We believe in you."

"We're right here, Toph," Aang said. "We're still your friends, no matter what you see. It's still us. We're still the same people. You can do it. Open your eyes."

Inhale. _Exhale_. Inhale. _Exhale_. Listen and wait. Listen and wait. Listen and wait.

Toph Beifong opened her eyes.


	4. Katara

**I am so happy, I think I could wrap a headband around my forehead, call myself Kuzon, and dance in a cave at midnight with a bunch of strangers! I appreciate the reviews so much, they mean a lot, for this being my first fanfiction.**

**This chapter as VERY difficult to write. I mean, Toph saw everything with her earthbending. Now she can't earthbend, but she can see. It was so bizarre and difficult I found myself closing my eyes, pretending I was blind, and trying to describe color to myself.**

**This chapter may be weird. I hope I did okay. There might be a few mistakes - I was so excited to write it - but it seemed to go through on the grammar and spell check on Microsoft. If there's any mistakes I apologize.**

**Anyway, tell me if it confusing, tell me if it's okay. If you get confused about Toph just act like you're colorblind, and you're a baby, and you don't know what the heck anything is.**

**Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks a bunch!**

**DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do.**

* * *

As soon as Toph opened her eyes, she shut them.

What was that? She – she saw something. She actually _saw_ something! But what was it? She had no idea what anything was. She couldn't sense anything without her earthbending. How would she be able to tell what was a human and what was a tree, unless one of them moved?

And what was it she saw? It was...harsh. Light? Colors? It was all so confusing.

"You can do it, Toph," Aang's voice said. "We're right here.

Toph tucked her hair behind her ears, and opened her eyes again. And when she did, saw a bunch of…things. People? One of the moved. Were they people?

"Let me help you up." That was Aang. She never forgot voice. He was standing right next to her. She could _see_ him!

Aang helped Toph to her feet, and she stared at the other…people. Yes, they had to be people. They were shaped like Aang…but not the same.

"I don't know what or who you guys are," Toph said, her voice kind of small. "I can't sense without my earthbending. I won't know unless you speak."

"I'm Aang," Aang said. "As you've already guessed.

Toph looked at her friend, again, the very first friend she'd ever had in her entire life. He was bald – though she already knew that from giving him noogies. He wore...robes? That's what robes looked like? And shoes? His feet?

"Katara," another voice said.

Toph studied Katara. Hair. It was…long. So that's what long looked like. Toph had felt Katara's hair before, so she knew the difference between short and long. She knew that guys had shorter hair – most of the time – while girls had longer.

A boy was standing by Katara – hair short hair pulled back. "Sokka."

Sokka looked like Katara. It was a weird comparison, considering they weren't the same, but they just looked…similar, somehow.

"Suki here," said a girl next to Sokka.

Suki's eyes looked…big. Bigger than Katara's and Sokka's. Big, like Appa. Not Small, like Momo. Toph began gathering information she already knew with her other senses, and bringing them forth with her new sense.

"Zuko."

Toph stared at Zuko. He looked like the others, the same shape, but there was something on his face. What was that? _The scar,_ she suddenly realized. Toph had heard the others talk about Zuko's scar. She had never been told how Zuko got the scar, and they never even mention that it was on his face.

"Mai," a gloomy voice said.

Mai was dressed like Zuko. Her hair was long, too.

Toph stared at the ground, feeling the grass beneath her feet. Grass. That's what it looked like. She looked up at the sky. It was…bright? Is that what it was called? What were those shapes in the distance? What was anything?

Toph examined her friends again. They all were the same shape; their eyes were the same shape, noses, mouth, hands, and feet. But they were all…different. Unique. They all were a different…sense? Smell? Feel? _No_, her mind said. _Color_.

Toph looked at her hands. Fingers. Skin. She felt overwhelmed. Not being able to see with her earthbending was scary enough, but being able to see – just like everybody else – was even scarier.

One of the girls stepped forward. "Um, why don't we step aside?" It was Katara. "Everyone else, head back to camp. Sokka – can I have your bag?"

"Why do you want my –"

"Just give it to me.

Sokka reluctantly gave Katara what must have been his bag.

Toph was grateful to be alone with Katara. Katara took her hand and lead her away from everyone else, across the grass, and through…the forest? She remembered feeling the trees with her earthbending when she had run back to the campsite. She was in a forest before she blacked out. Did that mean those tall things around her were…trees?

Katara led her to a secluded area. The texture underneath Toph's feet changed – dirt, instead of grass. Dirt looked different than grass. Toph saw something else was in front of her. It didn't look like the ground, because it wasn't grass or dirt or mud. She stuck her foot in.

Water.

"Why don't we sit down," Katara said, sitting on the dirt by the water.

Toph sat down also, staring at Katara. Staring at her eyes. _This is how Katara sees_, she thought. Katara was seeing everything Toph was seeing. She could see Toph. And Toph could see her.

It was rare for Toph to look into someone's eyes. Mainly it was because she didn't know where their eyes were, and it didn't really matter. Facing people when they talked to her was almost a ridiculous concept – there was nothing to see. She could have conversations to someone with her back turned to them, and it wouldn't make any difference.

But now, it was different. She could look into Katara's eyes, and Katara could look into hers.

"What do you think?" Katara asked her after a moment of silence.

Toph closed her eyes. "It's scary, Katara. I'm used to knowing who and what things are from touching, hearing, and earthbending. Now it's just…I don't know. It's hard to tell if it's really there or not, because I can't _feel_ it. What if seeing is just an illusion? What if you're an illusion? What if everything you see isn't what you think it is, and the only way you can know for sure is by feeling it?"

Katara laughed. "That's a bit…out there. I'm pretty sure I'm not an illusion. Um, is there anything you want me to tell you? What do you want to know?"

Toph stared straight forward, right at the water. "Colors," Toph began. "What are colors?"

Katara reached into Sokka's bag and pulled something out.

"What is that?" Toph asked.

"It's Sokka's paint set."

Toph grabbed one of the objects from Katara's hand, and ran her fingers up and down it. Yes, that was a paintbrush. She remembered the feel of it when Sokka had painted that picture of all of them in Ba Sing Se, back at the Jasmine Dragon. He had drawn a picture of all of them, and then painted. Colors. Drawings. All foreign concepts to her.

Katara picked up something off the ground. Toph took it from her ran her hands along it, and realized it was a piece of bark. She gave it back to Katara, who picked up the paintbrush, and dipped into something else – paint. She could smell it. She began making weird little things on the bark with paint. She made about ten of them, and then held up the piece of bark for Toph to see.

"This is red," Katara began, pointing to one of the colors. "Like Zuko's clothes. Like Mai's clothes."

She pulled something else from her bag and handed it to her. As soon as it hit her hands, Toph knew it was an apple. Red. The apple was red.

"Orange," Katara continued, pulling something else from the bag. She blew in it – a whistle. "Orange, like this whistle. Like some of the leaves in the trees.

It was a slow process, but Katara taught Toph all of the colors. She used physical examples for each of them. Yellow, is the sun, and Aang's robes. Blue is water, blue is the sky, blue is the color of Katara and Sokka's clothes. Green, the grass. Trees. Plants. Brown, earth. White, like clouds in the sky. Black – like when she closed her eyes, or the little things she saw in everyone's eyes – pupils, Katara said.

Katara began to show her other things, as well. She took out objects and handed them to her, letting her feel them over and inspect them. Rocks. Birds. Sticks. Lake. Toph would approach each object with her eyes clothes, and use her four senses to determine what they were. When she opened her eyes, they were there. She could see them. Katara also taught her emotions – happy. Sad. Angry. Frightened. Toph picked up on those easily. Even though she couldn't see emotions when she was blind, she could tell when people were smiling at her, or –in most cases – scowling.

"There's something else I want you to see," Katara said.

"What?" Toph asked, fiddling with a rock in her hand, wishing she could crush it with her earthbending.

Katara waterbended a small pool of water from the lake. She did a quick, flicking motion, and threw the water on a rock next to her.

"Ice," Katara explained. "You can see your own reflection in ice. Your reflection is…you. What you look like. Like when we look into a mirror."

Toph hesitated. "You mean you want me to see myself?"

Katara nodded – head shakes, another thing Toph had been taught.

"I'll step aside, if you'd like," Katara said. "You may want to do this by yourself. I'll be by a tree over there." She pointed.

Toph nodded, doing the ridiculous head motion that the seeing-people do. Katara left her, leaving her alone. She stared at the slab of ice on the rock. A mirror. Her reflection. Waiting for her.

Toph closed her eyes. She pulled her bangs in front of her face, like she always did, and crawled over to the slab of ice. She sat down in front of it, feeling it with her hands. Ice. Cold. She ran her fingers around the shape. Circle. Water. Ice.

_We believe in you, Toph._

Toph opened her eyes.

And she saw herself.

Her face. Her skin. A little bit of her eyes. Her nose. Her lips…

Toph tucked her bangs behind her ears, and looked at herself again. Her face was round, but it was a different kind of around. A different shape. Unique, not like everybody else's. Her eyes were the same color as grass. Green. Her eyes were green. Her eyelashes were black and long.

Her lips looked like the color red. Her nose was small. Her face was clear and flawless, no freckles or blemishes. Her hair. It was short. Her bangs were tucked behind her ears.

Toph always kept her bangs in front of her face. She didn't care what she looked like. It didn't matter if they were tucked behind her ears or in front of her face – it had made no difference to her.

A memory flashed back to Toph. They were back in the walls of Ba Sing Se, walking next to Katara, after those girls had made fun of her.

_One of the good things about being blind, is that I don't have to waste my time worrying about appearances. I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am._

Toph stared at herself in the ice, with her hair pushed back. Everyone could see her face now. Everyone saw her eyes. Everybody saw her skin, her lips, and her features.

_That's what I really admire about you, Toph,_ Katara had said._ You're so strong and confident and self-assured. And I know it doesn't matter, but…you're really pretty._

_I am?_

_Yes. You are_.

Toph stood up, and dusted the earth off herself. She made her way over to Katara, standing by the tree, waiting for her.

_Thanks Katara,_ she said._ I'd return the compliment, but I have no idea what you look like._

Toph stood in front of Katara. She looked at Katara's face, and her features. Her skin was a different color than Toph's. Brown, but not dark. A light…tone?

"Katara," she said. "Do you remember that moment when we were in Ba-Sing-Se?"

Katara nodded. "I was just thinking about that."

Toph shifted on her feet uneasily. "Well, I would return the compliment now, now that I can see you, but I really have no perception of what beauty is. Even though I can see, I don't know the difference between beautiful and ugly, so I couldn't really tell you for sure. But…there is something I'd like to tell you. It's kind of…sappy. I swore I'd never tell anyone this, but…you've helped me so much. I think you deserve to hear it."

"What is it?" Katara asked.

Toph sighed. "When I meet people, they have, like, an aura. It's like their personality. I can sort of…sense it. It's difficult to explain. But the more I talk to them, the stronger or dimmer it glows. For instance, Aang's aura is really strong, happy, and powerful. He's kind and he's a good friend. And when we first met Zuko…his aura was really dim, really low, and really…confusing."

Toph pursed her lips. "I've come to call this aura 'beauty,' because it's how they are on the inside. You guys think of beauty is what you can see, but that's not what beauty is. At least, for me it isn't. Beauty is what's on the inside…who you are, that makes you beautiful. And, well…" Toph fought for her words. "I want you to know, that your aura is very strong. It's the most powerful…and beautiful aura I've ever felt. You're beautiful, Katara. Inside and out."

Katara wiped tears from her eyes and gave her a hug. Toph hugged her back, and then punched her in the arm.

"Tell anybody I said that, and I'll deny it," she said grumpily.

Katara smiled. Lips up is a smile. Lips down is a frown. "Your secret's safe with me. Come on, we'd better get back to the others."

* * *

**P.S. - I was going to have each chapter with a different character. Toph with Katara. Toph with Aang . Toph with Zuko. That way I can get all of the characters in, the ones you love, and how they react and Toph reacts.**

** Make sure ****I don't forget Appa and momo! **


	5. Sokka

**Four letters for this chapter: B-L-A-H.**

**I don't feel like I did a good job on this one. The chapter before this one was Toph and Katara. Now it's Toph and Sokka. I suppose it's sort of an insight thing, Toph's relationship with each of her friends, and how she feels about being able to see them and everything else.**

**I probably could've done better on this. I felt like I over explained or left something hanging (hehe,irony). Anyway, some of you may think this is Tokka, and if you want to see it that way, fine. In my head this is canon. Sokka and Toph's relationship deals with some of Toph's little "romantic" feelings for him, but they're sort of...resolved in this chapter. It's friendship in my eyes, but if you see it differently than it's up to you.**

**Anyway. This one is probably a dud, but hopefully the next one is better. It deals with Zuko explaining his story to Toph. Zuko and Toph barely even had a friendship on the show, so I'm wondering how I'm going to work this out.**

**Alright, enough blabbing. THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAVORITES! :-D Onward, my faithful readers!**

**********DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do.**

* * *

Toph couldn't have been more thankful when her head hit the pillow.

Sleep was at least one thing that was normal – it was almost like being blind, back to her normal self.

Toph was the first one awake in the morning, surprisingly. When she opened her eyes, she had almost forgotten that she could see.

Almost.

A small fire was going from last night. She picked up a stick and poked at it. She knew that would create flames, although most of her friends were wary about her being around fire – even with her earthbending. She poked at the black things inside the pit – what were those called again? Rocks? Bricks?

"Poking at the coals?" Sokka asked.

Toph looked up. Sokka was awake – which was even more surprising than the fact that she could see. Sokka was never an early bird. But something must've woken him up. His hair looked…disheveled. Not back and nice like she had seen yesterday. He had a blanket around his shoulders. He sat down next to Toph.

"Coals," Toph confirmed, poking at the round objects. "That's what they're called."

Sokka did a half smile. "It's different with you seeing now, Toph. I mean, it's so easy to forget that you're blind, but now that you can actually see…it's weird. Really, really weird."

Toph pulled some was out of her ear and threw it on the fire. Wow, that didn't look like a pretty color. Is that what her friends saw every time she cleaned her ears? And not to mention her toes. She took the time to pick them before bed last night, and they didn't look to nice to her either.

"I feel like I should be running around," Toph said, shaking her head. "Seeing the world. Exploring. Taking in every sight. But…at the same time, I don't want to leave you guys."

Sokka pulled his hair back. "Let's go, then."

"Wait…what?"

"I don't think we have time to travel the world right now, but who says we can't explore? You've only got seven days of sight, and I want to make your time worthwhile."

Sokka scribbled a note for the others – Suki in particular – and the two friends set out. Sokka led Toph through a valley, by rivers and streams, and even more scenery. There was a lot of diverse terrain in the area they were in, and Toph drank in it all as they walked.

She kept practicing objects and colors. Brown bark. Blue sky. Birds. A baby badger mole hopped out of the ground as they were walking, and Toph stopped to study it.

Toph remembered the way baby badgermoles felt like. She knelt down and stroked the animal, feeling and examining. She supposed it looked like what it felt like – only if she concentrated really close. The badger mole stared at her sightless eyes. Toph was surprised to find the eyes weren't green, but a blank gray.

Toph stood up. Sokka had been watching her quietly. "Sokka, what color are my eyes?"

Sokka stepped forward, peering into her eyeball with his. He blinked in surprise. "They're green."

"Are they green all the time? Or do they change?"

Sokka laughed. "Well, they don't really change color, but change tone sometimes. From light to dark. But your eyes used to be gray. I guess since you can see now, the color is back."

Toph touched her eye. "That's weird."

"Meh, this is Team Avatar. Things have been weirder."

When they came across what Sokka explained was a mountain, the two agreed to climb it to the top. A rocky path was built into the side of the hill, so Toph followed behind Sokka, drinking in the sights, colors, and life.

It was weird following someone without her earthbending. Usually she could keep her head down and sense where they were. Now she actually had to pay attention, keep her head up, and look where she was going. Seeing was exhausting.

When the path let them walk side-by-side, Toph found herself studying Sokka. He was taller than she was. His skin…tone, was it? It was like Katara's. His eyes were bright, and his smile was a little goofy. He cracked jokes as they talked. Toph laughed along with him. It was still hard for her to believe that this was Sokka. Her friend. She could actually _see_ him. This is how he looked like, every day she was with him.

"So, what did you think of Appa and Momo?"

Toph broke her three-minute stare away from Sokka. "What?"

"Appa and Momo. Last night. What did you think?"

When Katara and Toph had gotten back to the campsite, she was surprised to see some huge, moving, thing, and a little small animal scurrying around it. Meeting Appa had almost been scary. She approached him apprehensively, surprised at how massive and intimidating he looked. But after running her hands across his fur, she knew it was her old friend. Momo was excited, and began running up and down her body. She'd never expected the two animals in the group to look so…opposite.

"They were funny," Toph decided, a smile cracking on her face. "They looked different. Everything looks different."

"Even people?"

"Especially people."

The two of them walked in silence for a moment. Sokka was walking close to the side of the mountain, putting his hand out, feeling the rocks out of boredom. Toph was on the outside, and began to slow down. Sokka was a few steps ahead of her now.

Toph was still barefoot. She felt the ground beneath her feet, with each step she took. Even though she couldn't earthbend, Toph still was still morbidly against wearing shoes. Shoes were for losers.

The ground beneath her began to feel…different. She looked down at the rocky ground. It felt…smaller. Lighter? She frowned.

_No_, her mind said. _Thinner_.

As soon as the word crossed her mind, the ground beneath her gave away. Toph screamed as she began to fall, but she managed to grab onto the side of the mountain with her hands, holding on for dear life, dangling hundreds of feet above in the air.

How stupid of her! She should've known standing too close to edge was dangerous. Normally she didn't worry about that kind of thing – she'd use her earthbending to catch herself if she fell. But she had forgotten that she couldn't earthbend, and now she was seconds away from slipping to her death.

"Toph!" Sokka yelled. He appeared at the ledge, several feet above her. "Toph, grab my hand!"

Sokka reached out, but they were too far away.

"You're gonna have to climb!" Sokka said, trying to reach down further. "Come on, climb to my hand!"

Then Toph did the most stupidest thing in the world – she looked down. She felt her face flush in terror. She knew what it felt like being up high in the air, but actually _seeing_ it was even more terrifying. She turned her wide eyes back to Sokka, reaching out to her.

_Climb_, her mind said.

Toph began to climb slowly, one hand at a time. She struggled to keep her weight up, and to keep herself from falling. Sokka's hand was just a few more inches away. She climbed a little bit more, and reached out for his hand.

The rocks crumbled beneath her hands. For split second she was falling, but then she stopped. Toph looked up. Sokka had a hold of her hands with his, gripping them tightly. He had almost fallen forward and taken them down together, but somehow he'd managed to keep her from plunging.

Toph looked up into Sokka's terrified eyes as he began to pull her up.

A memory flashed through her system.

_She was running across Ozai's airship fleet, holding onto Sokka's hand as he warded off fire nation soldiers. She could faintly sense people around her with metal bending. Then the two of them were sliding…slipping…falling. Toph could feel herself falling to her death. But Sokka had grabbed onto something, and he hadn't let go of her. She heard him screaming. He'd gotten hurt. Her hand was slipping. She heard the sound of enemies attacking. She wasn't going to make it._

Sokka began to pull her up, back towards solid ground. No. They had made it. Sokka wrapped his arms around her, giving her a hug.

Toph enjoyed the hug for a quick second, and then punched Sokka off him. "Thanks-you, Snoozles."

Sokka smiled at her. "You didn't think I was going out let you fall, did you?"

Toph turned her eyes up to the sky. "Am I doing this right?" she asked. "I'm trying to roll my eyes at you."

Sokka helped Toph to her feet. She stared into his eyes for a moment. She felt herself blushing.

"I'm sorry," Sokka apologized. "I should've walked on the edge, and put you on the inside. You're still new to this non-bending life."

Toph scowled. "Don't get used to it, Boomerang guy. I'll have my bending back in six days, and then I'll whoop your butt. Besides, it's not your fault."

"Still. I should've –"

"Sokka. I want to reach the top of this mountain today, please. Let's go."

Toph didn't want Sokka to think she was weak. She went on the inside of the mountain and forged ahead, still shaking after the whole ordeal. Sokka walked next to her, back into mutual silence.

When they reached the top of the mountain, Toph was amazed by the view. Although she wasn't a big fan of heights, the scenery was amazing from above. The world was so large, but everything looked small from a distance.

"Kind of reminded you of the invasion, huh?" she asked, kicking the ground with her feet.

Toph didn't need to tell Sokka what she meant. He nodded. "Yeah, that hit close to home."

"We almost didn't make it.

"Yeah. But we did. Thank goodness for Suki."

Toph turned and stared at him.

Then she said, "Sokka, you know I like you."

Sokka' face reddened. "Well, um –"

"Since day one, Sokka, I've had a crush on you, and you know it."

"Toph –"

Toph held up her hand. "I know, Sokka. I know. You're in love with Suki. Suki's in love with you. And Suki's a nice girl. I like her. She's…my friend."

Toph cleared her throat, averted her eyes, and tried to find her words. "I know there will never be anything between you and me, Sokka. As much as we get along and pal around, we're just not meant to be. But you're…you're one of the closest friends I have. And friends are something I don't have a lot of, and something I don't make easily."

Toph looked Sokka in his eyes. He looked back. She saw him. He saw her.

"I just thought I'd let you know how much you mean to me, and I appreciate…what you did. Today, and at those airships."

Sokka was completely silent. He knew Toph didn't talk about her feelings much, but she seemed so much different now that she could see. He put his hand on Toph's shoulder.

"Toph, you're my friend," he said. "You always have been, and always will be. I promise you that nothing will ever come between us. No matter who I date or whatever happens, you're still my pal until the end."

Toph grinned. She punched Sokka in the arm, knocking him to his bottom.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," she complained. "I'm acting so mushy lately. Tell anyone what's been said up here, and I'll deny it, and then kick your butt."

Sokka chuckled, and then stood. "Come on, we'd better head back. There's still more for you see. Have I showed you my boomerang yet?"

Toph smiled at her goofy, annoying, wise-cracking friend. "Only a thousand times."


	6. Zuko

**I feel like this story is a "Tales of Ba Sing Se" parody, but I guess the story goes wherever it wants to go.**

**Since Zuko's my second favorite character (right up there next to my happy little Aang) this one's a bit more about him. Still lots of Toph, though. **

**I'm having a difficult time placing the setting this story. I suppose it's after The Promise, buttttttt there's a few holes I left out, so just go with it. Everything might not be logical, but hey - it's just a fanfiction.**

**Reviews are hugged, appreciated, kept, and loved.**

**DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do.**

* * *

Another day passed.

Toph was drinking in every sight she could take as she relaxed with her friends. It'd been a long time since she was able to relax, but instead she was doing just the opposite. She was inhaling the sights. It was hard to believe that this is what sight was like. This was how you could see things. This was the world.

They moved their campsite to inside Western Air Temple. Toph wasn't really excited about that, but it seemed to make Aang happy, so she supposed she could deal with it. Besides, Aang had spent months at the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdoms, and Water Tribe. The Air Temples were one place Aang hardly ever had time to visit.

It was late at night. The sky was dark. Toph looked up, gazing at the beautiful stars, and the moon high in the sky. Everyone else was asleep except for her – she had tried again and again, but to no avail. She sat by the empty fire pit, right by the edge of the temple. Most of the Western Air Temple had crumbled when Azula had attacked, but Aang had sent Teo and his father some blueprints for reconstruction. The temple looked as good as new, and Teo had left it completely untouched. Toph sat near the edge of the temple, her feet hanging over. After her ordeal with Sokka yesterday, she was a little uneasy about being close to the edge, but Aang used earthbending to reassure it was stable.

Something stirred in the corner of her eye. Toph actually had to turn her head to see what it was – who knew seeing was such a chore. Usually she was able to feel who was stirring.

It was Zuko. He was lying on his side, eyes closed. Toph stared at his scarred eye. _Red_, her mind said. _Red scar_. Zuko twitched again in his sleep. What was he doing?

Abruptly, Zuko shot up out of his sleep, and into a sitting position. He ran his hands through his dark, black hair, staring out right in front of him. He didn't seem to notice Toph, or know that she was awake. Zuko shivered, and then blew three puffs of fire out of his mouth to warm his hands.

"Can't sleep?" Toph asked.

Zuko jumped. He turned and looked at her, surprised. "Um, no," came his voice. Dark and brooding, as always.

"I can't sleep, either," Toph said, rubbing her eyes. "Oma and Shu didn't tell me that insomnia was one of the side effects of our little deal."

Zuko didn't laugh. "You cold?" he asked.

He walked over by Toph, and lit a fire for them with his firebending. Toph didn't realize how weird bending looked. Firebending especially. Aang had shown her what all of the elements had looked like today in action. They looked weird, but cool at the same time. _I must look awesome when I earthbend_, Toph decided.

"Thanks," Toph said, sliding back and warming her hands by the fire. "Why couldn't you sleep?"

Zuko sat down by the fire next to her. He stared into the flames, the fire almost reflecting off of his scar.

"Dreams," he said at last.

"Dreams," Toph repeated. "I'm assuming you guys don't dream like I do."

Zuko looked stupefied. "You dream?"

"Of course I have dreams."

"But how...if you can't see?"

Toph rolled her eyes, properly trained by master Sokka. "Think, noodle-brain. I dream the way I see with earthbending. I hear sounds. Recognize smells. And feel with my earthbending. I just can't see anything."

Zuko looked impressed. "Interesting," he decided, poking at the flames with his bare hands.

"What was your dream about?"

He scowled. "What?"

"You dream. It woke you up, didn't it? What was it about?"

Zuko hesitated. "I…I don't want to talk about it."

Toph tucked her bangs behind her ears. She turned and looked at Zuko. His eyes were…yellow, almost. Yellow and orange. Amber, she remembered hearing Mai say. The right side of his face was marred by his scar. It was red, and obviously deep. Zuko averted his eyes.

Toph poked the fire with a stick by it. "Perhaps you could explain something to me, then."

"Yes?"

Toph stroked the earth with her hand, wishing she could fumble with some rocks. "I've always everyone talk about your scar…" she let the sentence hang before she continued. "I never knew how you go it. Or…where it was, for that matter."

Zuko was completely silent.

"Toph…I don't know. I don't really…know you, that well."

Toph looked at Zuko. A weird pairing, the two of them were. Zuko: seventeen-year old Firelord, ruler of a nation, banished, and always wishing to go back home. Toph: a thirteen-year old blind earthbender, kept a secret from the world her entire life, ran away from home on purpose, and never looked back.

"Everybody knows the story," Toph countered. "And how do you expect us to get to know each other if you're hiding the obvious?"

"Well…most people already know the story."

"My parents kept me a secret from the world, so excuse me if I'm unaware of fire nation gossip."

Zuko kept his head low. He looked down, staring into the flames.

"It's not a story I like to tell," he said.

Toph kept silent, waiting for him to continue.

Zuko sighed, and began his story. He explained about his childhood, how his mother had disappeared, his grandfather murdered, and his father rising to the throne. Slowly he worked his way up to the meeting in the war room. He told her the general's horrible plan, how Zuko spoke out against it, and how his father had claimed it disrespectful.

"My father ordered me to fight agni ki," Zuko said quietly.

"What's an agni ki?" Toph asked, scowling.

"It's a firebender duel. Two people, fighting alone, with no interference."

Toph nodded.

"I was expecting to be fighting the general," Zuko said. "But when I turned around to face my opponent, it wasn't the general. It…"

Toph looked at Zuko. "Who was it?" she asked, suddenly intrigued.

Zuko drew a breath. "It was my father," he finished.

Toph's jaw dropped. "Your father challenged you to an agni ki? How old were you?"

"Thirteen."

"What…what happened?"

"I begged for his forgiveness," Zuko continued, the memories boiling in his mind. "But my father would not accept it. He urged me to fight him, but I couldn't. Then he…" Zuko touched the scar on his face.

"He burned you?" Toph guessed.

Zuko nodded.

"Wow," Toph said, shaking her head. "I thought my father was bad."

"He banished me," Zuko continued, lifting his head. "Banished me from my own home. He said the only way I could return with my honor was to capture the Avatar. I was supposed to or kill the world's last and only chance of hope."

Toph stared into the crackling flames. It all made sense to her now. "So that's why you were always after Aang," she confirmed. "To please your father…and go home."

"Yes. And when Aang 'died' –" Zuko did quotations with his fingers – "I was able to return home with my honor. But my banishment had taught me more than I'd ever known. I wanted to return home because I thought the fire nation was a great, wonderful, and powerful nation. We were always taught the war was our way of spreading our goodness with the world. But after being on my own and hunting Aang for so long, I realized what a monster my father was. Even though I was back home, the crowned prince of the fire nation…I wasn't me. I didn't want to be a part of this horrible, violent war. I wanted to stop it. That's when I joined your group."

Toph cracked a smile. "I knew you weren't lying when you came to us that day. I wasn't with Team Avatar when you'd first started attacking them. Maybe it's a good thing I wasn't there. If I knew how you really were, maybe I wouldn't have vouched for you when you tried to join us." Toph patted the ground next to her. "Pretty sure you were standing right here when I felt your little fire nation feet."

Zuko did a small smile, something that he rarely did.

"Is that what your dream was about?" Toph asked him. "Your past?"

Zuko smile was quickly relinquished. "…no. It was about what's happening now."

"What is happening now?"

Zuko lay on his back, looking out at the stars. "The promise I forced Aang to make. That if I ever ended up my father, that he should end me. It almost came true, a few months before the Ember Island trip. I was acting like my father, and I even asked him for help." Zuko shook his head. "In my dream, I grew up to be exactly like my father. And…my grandfather. Sozin. I had started another war, Toph. I was setting the world on fire. Aang was there. We had to fight. For a second, I was Firelord Sozin, and he was his past life – Avatar Roku. It was like the past had been brought to the future." Zuko sunk his head into his knees. "How am I any different than my father, or my father's father? What's keeping me from ending up just like them?"

Toph looked at Zuko for a long, long time.

Then she said, "You're kidding me, right?"

Zuko lifted his head. "Does this sound like a joke?" his voice had edge.

"Zuko, I don't know you that well, but your aura…" Toph briefly explained auras to Zuko. "Your aura has improved, Zuzu. You went from dark, brooding, and angry, to a kind, gentle, helpful spirit. I know there's still conflict inside of you. I can sense that. But you helped _end_ this war, Zuko. You broke the chain of your forefathers. Your father sent you to capture the Avatar, and you joined him instead, defeated him, and you have absolutely no remorse about it. Zuko, you're good. Great, in fact. Believe you me – you're the best you've been in a long time."

Zuko leveled his eye at Toph. There it was – another smile. "Thanks, Toph. But don't call me Zuzu."

Toph laughed. "I'm afraid you're not getting out of that nickname so easily, Sparky."

"Sparky?!"

Toph grinned. "Get to bed, firelord. I appreciate the heart-to-heart and storytime, but I've got more stuff to see tomorrow."

"Oh, that reminds me."

Zuko slipped a folded up paper out of his robes. He opened it up and looked at it, and then handed it to Toph.

"My uncle talks about you. According to him, you two are pretty good friends. I thought you'd like to…see what he looks like."

Toph took the parchment from Zuko's hands, and stared the picture scribbled on it. Iroh. She'd never forget meeting the unlikely old man in the woods. Or knowing he had been struck lightning, and being unable to do anything about it. Old people looked different than regular people. Lines were on his face – wrinkles, they were called. His hair was gray and faded. Although he looked old, there was a twinkle in his eyes. His smile was warm, and kind. Kind. Just like Iroh.

Toph stared at the paper for the longest time, embedding the memory into her brain. She handed the paper back to Zuko, and wiped away an unseen tear from her eye.

"Thank-you."


	7. Mai and Suki

**I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to Mai and Suki, but I thought they deserved a moment with our dear Toph. I mean, they're on Team Avatar too. ****Anyway, since Mai, Suki, and Toph have barely ever interacted,****I decided to write their chapter on the one thing the three of them do have in common:**

**Fighting.**

**Just some random stuff, but some connection between the three of them, because I think they deserve it.**

**Next chapter's Aang. Then Toph goes back to Oma and Shu. And then one last surprise chapter, and then this fic will be complete.**

**Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews! :D**

******DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do.**

* * *

Toph had never realized how beautiful the ocean was.

Then again, she'd never know what anything looked like. The Gaang had packed up again and flown to a new spot – a spot by the ocean. It reminded Toph of Ember Island – the sand in her feet, the sea breeze blowing in her face, the sound of seagulls flying from above. She never realized how vast and stunning the ocean was. She almost wanted to dive in and go for a swim.

Almost.

Everybody was having a great time. Aang and Katara were swimming, surfing the waves on slabs of ice, laughing and trying to shove each other off. Sokka and Zuko were fighting – broadsword VS space sword. Even though Zuko had accidentally gotten a slice of Sokka's chin last time, Sokka was ready for a rematch. Mai and Suki were playing volleyball. Toph was laying the sand, staring up at the sky. The sky was a bright, harsh blue. There wasn't a cloud in sight.

"Hey, Toph." It was Suki's voice. "Want to play?"

Toph lifted her head. Volleyball was a game Toph hated, considering she could never see the ball in the air. Soccer – football, it was formally called – was something more her style.

"I don't know," Toph said dubiously. "I've never played before."

"We'll teach you," Suki said, her smile bright and her eyes twinkling. "You and me against Mai. That'll be evenly matched."

Toph stared at the two girls. Both of them were a couple of years older than her, and she had nothing in common with either of them. Still, they were her friends, even if they weren't close.

"I suppose I'll try."

Toph joined sides with Suki, while she and Mai explained the game. It seemed easy enough. Suki served the ball into the air. Mai hit it back. It was coming straight for Toph.

Toph heard it coming before she saw it. She jumped into the air and struck the ball across the other side, straight down into the earth.

"Is that how you spike?" Toph asked.

Suki's jaw dropped. Even Mai looked impressed.

"That's exactly how," Suki responded, smiling.

So it turned out volleyball was pretty easy for Toph. Usually she sucked at dealing with things at the air, but Toph had been trying to train herself to sense things. She combined all of her senses – plus her newfound sight – to play the game. And she was rocking.

Pretty soon it was Suki and Mai against Toph. Even then, Toph was still winning. She kicked and punched and spiked and everything else in-between. When she'd finally won, Mai and Suki were exhausted. They lay on the ground, panting, staring up at the sky, and then at her.

Toph smiled. "I think I like volleyball," she decided.

Mai sighed. "Remind me to put you on our team next time we play at Ember Island."

"Wow, they're really getting into it."

Suki pointed to Sokka and Zuko, who were still engaged in furious combat. Zuko swung his broadswords rapidly, using their combined effort to fend Sokka off. Sokka was defending exceedingly well, and pretty soon he had his boomerang out, and was attacking Zuko from behind. Zuko was at a sideways stance, blocking the sword from the front, and the boomerang from behind.

"Hey, Toph," Suki said. "Want to learn to fight like us non-benders?"

Toph looked at the two of them. "Do you _really_ want to put a sword into _my_ hands?"

The idea seemed scary enough. An overly-aggressive, new-to-seeing, ex-earthbender swinging a sword around.

"Please," Mai said, rolling her eyes. "Big old swords? We're talking small, and deadly."

Suki slipped her fans from her belt. Mai pulled out her throwing daggers. Toph grinned.

"Count me in."

* * *

Turns out learning how to throw knives was much more complicated than learning how to play volleyball.

The three girls hiked up into the jungle by the beach, and stopped at one of the largest trees they could find. Suki and Mai demonstrated their knife throwing. Both of them threw with deadly accuracy – hitting the same mark on the tree each time.

Toph tried Suki's fans, but they were a bit bulky. She threw them awkwardly and they didn't even reach the tree. She could throw pretty far with Mai's knives, but she had a hard time hitting her mark. Toph was getting frustrated.

"Try these," Suki suggested.

She pulled out two small, sharp daggers from her beach bag. Why she had them in her beach bag, Toph had no idea, but then again – this was team Avatar. The knives were about the size of Toph's hand, and they balanced with her perfectly.

"Keep your eye on the target," Mai said in her monotonic voice.

"Make everything around it disappear," Suki continued. "Just focus on the tree. And don't bring your elbow so far back. It throws off your aim."

Toph took the girl's advice, and threw the knife as hard as she could. It swiveled in the air, and grazed the edge of the tree – the closest she'd ever gotten.

"Not bad," Mai said, doing an anti-climactic clap. "You're doing better than Zuko when I taught him."

"Maybe get into a stance," Suki suggested. "I mean, we all have different stances. Mai does it like a firebender. I do it the way like the Kyoshi warriors were taught.

_Earthbending moves_, Toph realized. _Duh, why didn't I think of that before?_

Toph steadied in her "horse stance," the stance she'd taught herself when she first learned to earthbend. She drew the knife back and took a strong step forward. Instead of punching a rock, like she usually did, Toph threw the knife. It swirled in the air, and then lodged itself right in its mark – right where Mai and Suki had been hitting.

Suki's jaw dropped. Even Mai looked surprised.

"That was incredible!" Suki said, clapping her hands. "I've never seen someone pick knife-throwing up so easily. How did you do that?"

"Earthbending," Toph said, grinning. "Pretty much the way I got through life."

The girls gathered their weapons and continued to practice. Suki showed Toph how to throw it like a Frisbee. Mai showed her a firebender's stance. The three of them threw knives for about an hour, when Mai suggested that they teach her how to fight with them.

"I don't know about that," Toph said. "I'm still new to seeing, and I usually fight with earthbending."

"This will be your only chance to learn," Suki said quietly. "Why don't you give it a try?"

So she did.

Mai and Suki taught her the basics, how to swipe and duck and block. Toph picked it up quite easily, but she knew the others were going easy on here. Mai and Suki had a weird way of fighting. They seemed to be tiptoeing around her, flipping and sliding, avoiding and evading. Toph was finding it extremely difficult to do their stances and moves.

Toph stopped for a moment, holding up her knives. "You guys aren't fighting like earthbenders. Or firebenders. What…what in the world are you doing?"

Mai sighed gloomily. "Even though you _can_ conjoin bending martial arts with knife fighting…"

"Knife fighting is completely different than bending fighting," Suki said. "The idea is to be quick and agile. Light on your feet. Slip around your opponent, and strike when he's least expecting it."

"Kind of like the way Twinkletoes fights," Toph said, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "He's light on his feet. He always avoids and evades. You guys almost fight like airbenders."

Suki shrugged. "Kyoshi was the Avatar. Maybe she mixed in some airbending moves with it."

"That's why it's difficult," Toph said, shaking her head. "My way of fighting is to be strong and steady, rooted to the ground. Rock-like. This light-on-your-feet Twinkletoes nonsense is…weird."

Mai did a dull chuckle. "Combine them both, like I did. I stay light on your feet, but use move like a firebender, the way I was taught."

Toph finally put it together. She stayed strong and rooted to the round, but she was low and quick. She moved decisively, slipping around her opponents, and throwing moves at them as she did. Mai and Suki fought back, and pretty soon the three of them were exhausted. They collapsed on the ground.

Toph panted, wiping the sweat off her face again. "Thanks you guys," she said after a moment of silence.

"For what?" Mai grumbled.

"For teaching me volleyball, and how to fight. It's hard to do some things when you only see with your feet. I know I'll never get the chance to do this again. I appreciate it."

Suki smiled. "No problem, Toph."

A sneaky idea crept into Toph's mind. "Now, how about I show you guys something?"

"What?" Mai asked.

Toph took off her belt, and tied it around Suki like a blindfold. "Let's fight my way, this time."

Mai and Suki were dubious, but Toph managed to coax the two of them into it. She taught them how to enhance their other sense – sight, smell, feel. While they were learning, Toph snuck up behind them and attacked. At first she clobbered them. But after a while, they seemed to pick it up. They dodged her attacks, and soon were fighting back – even with a blindfold on.

Even though they didn't have much in common, Toph felt so comfortable with Suki and Mai. When they realized it was getting late, the three of them headed back to the others. They laughed as they walked back, cracking jokes about things and making bets on who won – Sokka or Zuko.

Three girls.

Three fighters.

Three friends.


	8. Aang Part 1

**Yup, I'm late. Sorry about that. I've still updated this story every day so far, considering it's 11:02 PM. Still, I should've written this and put it up earlier. Blah.**

**This chapter didn't really go as I planned. I was hoping to do some random things between Toph and Aang, but I started to go off track. Hopefully what I wrote makes sense, and it doesn't seem like I just pulled something out of a hat. Blah. This chapter's probably a dud.**

** Anyway, thanks again for the reviews and everything. Make me feel giddy every time I check my inbox. I love it!**

**********DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do.**

* * *

Toph counted her days. Day one was with Katara. Day two was with Sokka. Day three was with everyone, and she's spoken to Zuko that night. Day four was with Mai and Suki. Today was day five. She had two more days left of sight. So far she'd spent time with everyone in the group, getting to know them better with her newfound sight. Everyone except…

"Aang," Katara said. "What are you doing?"

They'd moved back to the Western Air Temple. It was early in the morning, and only half of the Gaang was awake. Sokka was passed out. He was leaning up against a column, snoring away while Momo was napping on top of his head. Suki was waking up, picking up her clothes and drifting off into the temple to find a place to change.

Zuko and Mai were asleep by the fire brazier, in each other's arms. Katara was dressed and awake. Aang was on top of Appa, loading few things into his saddle.

"Since everyone's gotten some time with Toph," the Avatar said slowly. "I thought I'd take some time with her. Is that okay?" he asked her.

Toph shrugged. "I'm down with it. No earthbending around me, though. That's not cool."

Aang grinned. "Climb aboard."

While Toph climbed on Appa, Aang and Katara embraced and kissed.

"Be sure to have Sokka and Suki help you fill up some water," Aang said, brushing her hair back. "We'll need some more of it for our flight home."

"No problem, sweetie."

The two of them kissed again. Toph stared at the scene, completely grossed out. _So that's what kissing looks like_, Toph thought. _Ugh. Sokka was right. Totally oogie_. **(A/N – Reference to The Promise :D)**

Aang left Katara and on Appa. The bison soared into the air, high into the sky, like Toph had felt a thousand times before. Toph was still trying to get used to seeing while she was flying. It was still pretty scary, being up that high in the air.

"So," Toph said lamely as they flew over the forest. "What's on your mind, Twinkletoes? I didn't know you wanted a field trip with me. You should've put in your request sooner; I could've booked you for an earlier time."

Aang laughed. "Well, you might not like it…but you'll see."

To Toph's surprise, Aang landed Appa on the mountain she'd climbed with Sokka. She gazed out at the vast view, once again awestruck by the things she saw. _Seeing_. She still couldn't seem to grasp the concept. _I'm actually seeing. I can see this._

"Why are we here, Aang?" Toph asked, using his real name instead of his notorious nickname.

Aang looked nervous. He fiddled his foot on the ground. "I know you don't like flying. It's because you can't see, when you're not on the ground. But…you can see now. I know you're more comfortable on the ground, but I thought, since you can, I was wondering if…" Aang sighed and opened his glider. "I wanted to take you for a ride."

Toph stared at the glider, and then looked out at the air around her. "Aang, you know I _hate_ flying."

Aang nodded. "I know. But Toph, flying isn't all that bad. I want you to see what flying is like for me, and what it's like being up in the air– aside from on top of Appa. It's amazing, Toph. It's an amazing sight and experience. I want you to try it…if you will."

Toph studied the glider, and her airbending friend. Aang. Her first friend. When she'd first met him, she'd kicked his butt. At least until he threw out that airbending move.

An airbender. A real airbender.

As far as Toph had known, airbenders were extinct. She'd heard rumors – the Avatar was the last airbender. He could still be alive. He could be hiding. And then Aang had shown up on her doorstep, announcing he was the Avatar, and needed her help. Toph had run away to help train him, to be on her own, and to help free the world from the fire nation's grasp.

When Toph was first getting to know Aang, he had confused her. Whenever he would fly with his airbending, he would disappear from her line of sight. Katara said he was flying up in the sky, above his enemy, and attacking them from the air.

It was difficult for Toph to get used to that during battle. One minute Aang be next to her, fighting in unison like an earthbending tag-team. Then, suddenly, he'd just be gone.

When he first did that during combat, Toph had thought he had vanished. Like seriously, into thin air. Like, nobody just disappears without Toph Beifong feeling them leave. Even if they jumped on a table, sat on a chair, she could feel the vibrations from both of the objects, and sense them on top of it. Nobody could hide from her.

But jumping into the air, and not landing? That was different. They weren't touching the earth whatsoever. The most frustrating thing Aang did was that confounded air scooter. He'd fly all around and laugh giddily, and it annoyed Toph when he first did it. It was like he was in front of her, but he wasn't. First she thought he was taunting her. Then she realized it was just Aang – the goofy, happy, playful little monk who thought of his bending as mere amusement rather than a fighting tactic.

Toph looked up into the air. Even though she hated aerial travel, a small piece of her always wondered what it would be like if she could fly in the air? A small piece of her. A very tiny, wimpy, microscopic piece of her. A piece of her hidden her solid, ground-loving, dirt-rolling earthbending personality.

"Well, Twinkletoes," Toph decided. "I suppose I could give it a try.

* * *

Flying hundreds of feet in the air on a glider was even more terrifying than riding Appa bareback. Toph held on tightly, fearing every second that she was going to slip and plunge to her death. Aang seemed to be enjoying himself, flying up high above the clouds, swooping up and down. For a scary second she thought Aang was going to drop them, but she chided herself for mistrusting him.

_If I can't trust Aang_, she thought. _I can't trust anyone._

After getting over her gripping fear, Toph began to slightly relax. She focused on the clouds and the sky, and the birds flying below her. A small smile crept across her face.

"This isn't…that bad," Toph decided.

Aang grinned. "Are you kidding? This is what I live for! This is great!"

Aang started laughing – a bright, joyful, laugh that resonated through the air. He swirled around and did a loop-de-loop. Toph was about to smack him for being such a goof, but soon she, too, found herself laughing.

Aang soared higher and higher. He circled the mountains and trees, flying up and down, around and around. Toph found herself laughing as she flew, enthralled by the sights that her eyes picked up.

She couldn't believe it. She was actually flying, but not on top of Appa. She was actually seeing, but not with her feet. She felt like she was living for the very first time. She felt free, like she was rising from a pit of ashes, and galloping away on a white stallion.

"Spirit," Aang said, confirming her thoughts. "It's called spirit."

They flew around for a while, laughing and talking, exploring and sightseeing. After about an hour they went back to get Appa, and landed back at the Western Air Temple. Instead of finding all five of their friends relaxing and waiting for them, they arrived to mass panic, and only three of them.

Zuko was standing by the fire pit. The fire had risen up to his chest, and his hands were above it, raising the flames with his will. He did this whenever he was frustrated or angry. Suki was pacing rapidly, appearing on the edge of despair. Even Mai looked concerned, which was saying a lot.

Aang landed Appa quickly. "What's going on?" he asked, jumping down. "What happened? Where's Katara and Sokka?"

Zuko threw his stream of fire back into the pit. "Where were you two? We needed you, Aang! Katara and Sokka are missing. They've been taken."

"What?" Aang demanded. He charged Zuko, staring him in the face. "What happened? Where's Katara?"

Suki stepped between them, sensing their tension. Her eyes were red from crying.

"I went with them," she said quietly. "To the river. Katara and Sokka. We were gathering water for supplies, and…" Suki covered her face. "He moved so fast. Pretty soon they were on the ground, and I myself couldn't move. A chi-blocker. It had to be a chi-blocker."

"Who?" Aang asked. "What happened?"

Zuko created a massive ball of fire, and released it out into the open air. "My lieutenant," Zuko growled. "My own lieutenant. Entrusted to help us restore this world to peace. I was sensing disloyalty in him, but now I know he's a traitor. That no-good, backstabbing, piece of – "

Mai calmly stepped in front of Zuko and Suki and shoved them out of the way.

"These two aren't lucid," she said in her dull tone. "Let me explain: Suki and the other two went to fetch more water. Suki said they were attacked by a chi-blocker. He took Katara and Sokka. Suki managed to escape. She caught a glimpse of his face. When she described the man to us, we knew it was one of our lieutenants. He's been helping us keep order with the Harmony Restoration Movement. We've been hearing rumors that he's working against us, and the fire nation. Zuko's been watching him. We were beginning to think they were just rumors, and that the lieutenant was still loyal, until Suki described his face. It's him. He betrayed us. He has Sokka and Katara."

"And where were you two?" Zuko accused, getting into Aang's face. Toph could tell being betrayed was something Zuko didn't like. "We've got a traitor on the run, and he's got your girlfriend, and you two are off playing games in the sky. This is your fault!"

Suddenly Aang was angry. "Well maybe if you tried to go after them!" he growled. "And actually did something aside from getting angry and complaining all the time!"

"Stop it," Toph said, stepping in-between the two. "We've got a crisis, and you two don't need to be arguing. Let's get on Appa and go find Katara and Sokka."

"It's a trap," Mai said gloomily, swinging her knife. "The lieutenant's trying to bait Zuko. That's why he took Katara and Sokka. He wants the firelord…" she gave Aang a look. "Or maybe the Avatar."

"I don't care," Aang said, opening up his glider. "You four get on Appa and start looking. I'll go on my own."

The four of them did as ordered, and launched an aerial search for the two water tribe siblings. After roaming the forests for a while, Zuko landed in a clearing, and said they should split up. Mai and Zuko went together. Suki went in one direction, and Toph went in another.

Toph wished desperately she could earthbend at the moment. A couple of stomps on the ground and she could've sensed where they were. She kept her eyes peeling, searching desperately for her friends. She ran and searched for twenty long minutes, running as fast as she could. She drew her knife just in case. She reached the top of a low cave, probably only six feet tall, and peered down below.

That's where she saw Sokka.

He was standing below her, very quietly, as if he were waiting for something. The bushes next to the cave rustled, and a man a came out. He was lean and muscular, and carried no weapon.

"Your sister is incapacitated," the chi-blocker said. "And you are no threat to me."

"Where's my sister?" Sokka demanded, taking a stance. "Where's Katara?"

The chi-blocker pulled out a small knife. "Doesn't matter about her." His voice was dark. "You should be worrying about you. I only needed one of you to bait the firelord and the Avatar. A girl will give me much more leverage. You, however, are disposable."

One of the things Toph was good at was waiting and listening. Waiting for the perfect moment. Listening on when to strike. Neutro-jing, the key to earthbending.

But at this very moment, Toph forgot every single thing she'd ever taught herself. Sokka was in trouble. She had to do something.

Toph leapt off the top of the cave, and tackled the man before he could strike. They tumbled and flew in different directions. Sokka ran out into the woods – no doubt to look for Katara.

Toph stood and drew her two knives, which she'd kept under her belt since she'd gotten them. The man stood to his feet, growling at her.

"I see another one wishes to be disposed," he said. "No matter. I will deal with you first, and then the water tribe peasants."

Toph began to fight the man – knife on knife – until she knocked the knife out of his hand. Then he began to fight with his fists. He moved around her like some sort of madman, poking at her weak points, trying to chi-block and take her down. Toph moved quickly and stealthily, dodging some of the attacks, but she was weakening.

Sokka and Katara emerged from the woods as she was fighting. Katara was leaning against Sokka. She obviously couldn't bend yet – she could barely even stand. Sokka was weaponless. The man advanced against her, backing her into a corner. There was no way they could win this.

Toph raised up both of her hands. "Listen up, meathead. I'll go with you, and be used as your bait, if you let these two go."

"Toph, no!" Sokka said, struggling to keep his sister standing. "You're playing right into him!"

"Interesting bait," the man said. "A frail, little girl with no bending abilities."

Toph was angry. _I'll show you frail and little. I'll kick you around to Timbuktu, bucko._

Sokka was insistent. "Toph don't!"

Toph didn't listen to him. She stared the lieutenant down. "Run, Sokka. Find the others."

"But –"

"Go!" she growled.

Sokka left, dragging Katara out of the woods.

Toph looked at the lieutenant. She wished she could pull a rock up from the ground and send this guy flying to Whale Tale Island, but she didn't have any bending. This man was a skilled fighter. There was no way she could take him down.

Toph dropped her knives and held out her hands in surrender.

* * *

** TOTALLY TOPH BEIFONG! **

**For those of you who have watched Legend of Korra, I just ran a parallel here. You know, when Lin Beifong jumps on those airships to save Tenzin and his family? (FLIPPING AMAZING). Well, Toph just surrendered herself to save Katara and Sokka. Not by sacrificing her bending, but she still surrendered over to an enemy to save them.**

** Seems like a Beifong thing to do. Give up yourself to save a friend. **

** Annnnyyyywayy, I promise I really do have a point to this random chapter. I hope the whole "lieutenant" thing doesn't seem like a wild card, or something pulled out of a hat. I was doing this to sort of do something between Aang and Toph, just to show how much Toph means to Aang, and what Aang would do to save her. Friendship sort of thing. I'm going to try to tie this together tomorrow, and hopefully it won't end up sounding/going awfully. (I was also going to delve into Zuko a tad, on how the pressures of the firelord is bugging him, doesn't want to end up like his father, blah-blah-blah.)**

** Three more chapters after this: Part Two of Aang, Toph getting her bending back, and that little surprise chapter I had planned.**

** Thanks for reading, those who have still managed to stay with my shabby writing. If anything doesn't make sense, ask. I sometimes leave holes in my stories…should probably work on that :)**


	9. Aang Part 2

**Hello :)**

** Okay, so I'm late. Yeah yeah, I said I was going to update this story every day, but I didn't update yesterday. BUT I have a reason for updating. Yesterday was my boyfriend and mine's 1-year anniversary of dating. He's in the military, (he's at Tech School right now), so I spent most of the day texting and calling him after school. He's an hour ahead, and times for calling are kind of wonky, so I was sorta just attached to my phone and texting him whenever he could.**

** Anyway, enough about my boring personal life. Like I said before, I was trying to tie this together, and I'm not quite sure if it worked. I hope this this didn't turn out cheesy, or a little weird. Blah. It's probably a dud. I should probably revise it a bit more, but I'm too lazy.**

** I'm picturing this lieutenant guy like the one on Legend of Korra. You know, the one who Amon just bloodbended and threw aside like a lifeless doll in the season finale? (Wow, Amon's such a nice guy!) Yeah, him. I don't know. I should've thought this through more. Should be more motive and story, but I'm just going with it.**

** THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWS AND FOLLOWS AND FAVORITES AND STUFF.**

**DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do.**

* * *

Aang soared high above the treetops, scanning low for Sokka and Katara. About a half hour had passed and he was having no luck. He finally hit the ground and began looking on foot. He called out his friend's names.

After ten minutes, Sokka stumbled out of the woods, holding up Katara.

"What's happened?" Aang said, rushing to Katara and helping her. "How'd you guys get free?"

"Toph," Sokka panted. "He was going to kill me. Toph stepped in and went with him instead, and let us go free."

Katara panted. "I probably won't be able to bend for another ten minutes."

"We need to regroup," Sokka decided. "Where are the others?"

As if on cue, Suki, Mai, and Zuko came into the clearing. Appa was behind them. Suki rushed to Sokka.

"Where's Toph?" Zuko asked them.

Sokka explained what had happened. "He wants you, Zuko," the water tribe warrior said. "I think he might also want Aang, too."

Katara let go of Aang. "That's not all," she said. "I heard the lieutenant mumbling to himself. Uprisings are happening, Zuko. And the lieutenant is starting them. They aren't rumors. It's really happening."

"Uprisings?" Suki asked, confused. "What are uprisings?"

"There are people in the fire nation who still remain loyal to Ozai," Zuko said, glowering. "They are Fire nation citizens and warriors who want to start another war. They seek to assassinate me, and finish what my father had failed to do."

"The lieutenant is leading them," Katara added. "He's the one in charge of all the uprisings. He's trying to overthrow you, and bait you with Toph."

"We have to save her," Sokka interjected. "I think I know which way they went.

_Whoosh_!

The six of them turned when a sound erupted from behind them. In the very far distance, a column of flame shot up from the air.

"That's him," Zuko announced. "He's sending a signal."

"Everyone on Appa," Aang said, flying on top of his bison. "We're going to get Toph."

* * *

The lieutenant guy was beginning to annoy Toph.

He reminded her of "The Boulder" from Earth Rumble Six. Only take the obnoxious times ten, and the ego times twenty. He kept going on and on about some sort of uprising he was doing. Being powerful, taking down the firelord. Toph wasn't really paying attention.

Toph had her hands tied in front of her, and her eyes were blindfolded. She used her regular four senses to pay attention to where she was going. It felt like they were climbing another mountain. Toph was walking in front of the lieutenant as he went on and on and on with his gloating nonsense.

"I don't mean to be rude," Toph grumbled, "But would you please shut up?"

The lieutenant growled and shoved her, and then made some offhanded comment about bratty children.

"Fire nation," he muttered. "Run by a seventeen-year old child. That teenager doesn't know what he's doing."

"That kid is my friend," Toph protested angrily. "And need me to remind you, that your precious 'Phoenix King' was defeated and nearly killed by a twelve-year old."

"I'll kill him, too. First the firelord, and then that half-washed Avatar."

"Fully realized Avatar," Toph muttered. "And the pain he'd give you is only half of what I'd unleash on you if I had my bending."

"Keep quiet little girl. We're here."

The man took her blindfold off. They were standing at the edge of a cliff, about thirty feet high in the air. Toph's eyes widened, and she took a step back. The lieutenant stepped in front of her, staring out at the world below.

The lieutenant stood in front of her and raised his hands. Toph stumbled back once again as he threw a torrent of flames into the sky, reaching almost as high as she and Aang had flown on his glider. He sent the fire out for a few moments, and then stopped.

"And now," he said quietly. "We wait."

* * *

The bad news – they had to leave Appa behind.

The good news – they were getting closer.

The flames kept going off into the air sporadically. Appa was flying as fast as he could, but suddenly he stopped in midair. Below them was a tunnel carved into the hillside.

"What's wrong, boy?" Aang asked, patting Appa's neck. "Just fly over."

Zuko pointed ahead of them. "He can't"

Above the cave, directly in front of them, were hundreds of buzzard bees. They had built in their nests on top of the tunnel, and were occupying the air above it, swarming around, looking angry and annoyed. The fire signal was close, and the buzzards obviously didn't like it.

"We have to go through the tunnel," Sokka decided. "The buzzards are getting antsy over the fire. I don't want to take chances with those stingers."

Aang landed Appa in front of the tunnel. The bison groaned in protest, afraid of being underground. The kids hopped off the bison, while Aang patted Appa's fur.

"I'm not making you go through," the Avatar said. "Stay here, and watch out for those buzzards. We'll be back."

The six of them entered the dark cave. Aang and Zuko used firebending for light, while Aang used Toph's earthbending skills to guide them. He wasn't as good as Toph, but he still had a strong sense of feel for the earth.

They exited the end of the tunnel easily, and entered a wide canyon. It reminded Aang of the great divide; back when they had fought those canyon crawlers. Walls of rock surrounded them on both sides. Another column of flame shot up from above. Aang looked up.

"Uh-oh," Sokka said miserably. "That's not good."

* * *

When Toph got her bending back, she was going to tie this guy down, find the heaviest rocks in the entire four nations, and slam them into his face repeatedly.

The lieutenant had tied one of her arms with a rope, and cast her over the Cliffside. He then drove a stake into the ground and tied the other end of the rope around it, so she was dangling thirty feet into the air, nothing but a thin rope keeping her aloft. The man had a flame of fire in his hand, right above the ropes. One blast of fire and the ropes would burn, and Toph would be a goner.

Soon her friends arrived. All of them. They stood at the bottom of the canyon, faces of horror, glaring up at the lieutenant.

Toph sent Aang a desperate look. _Throttle this guy for me, will ya?_ She tried to speak to him in her mind, but it seemed her telepathy didn't seem to be working.

"I have your friend," the man said from above her. "Give me the firelord, and I won't kill her."

She watched as Zuko scoffed from below. "You honestly think you can bait us like this? We're more powerful than you in a tenfold, lieutenant. You're in no position or power to barter. Let her go, or I'll feed you to the wolves."

Aang stepped calmly in front of Zuko. That was Aang, always trying to find the peaceful solution. _Come on, Aang,_ Toph thought. _Take this guy down and unleash some Avatar fury!_

"We can talk about this," Aang said, holding up his hands. "Get Toph on stable ground. We can negotiate."

_C'mon, Aang_, Toph thought. _That's not gonna work here._ _Violence!_

The lieutenant growled. "There is no time for talking. The uprisings have begun. Today I will kill the firelord, and then I will hunt you down, Avatar. Fire is the superior element. We have all of the power. We should be the rulers!"

"It doesn't work that way," Zuko called. "Four nations. Four elements. We balance each other out. There is no one ruler."

"You're a coward, prince Zuko. Your father would be ashamed of you. You have betrayed your nation!"

Zuko's fists exploded into flames. Mai held him back.

"Let's talk about this," Katara said, stepping up. "We can help you. Just let Toph go."

"Bind the firelord's hands so he can't bend," the lieutenant said. He pointed to Sokka. "Send the non-bender up here, weaponless. Leave him by my side. Once the firelord is chi-blocked and in my possession, I will let your friend go. If I sense any trickery, any false movements, I will burn the ropes, and this little girl will go for a dive. You have five minutes to decide."

"Don't do it," Toph yelled. "I'll be fine. Go!"

The six of them began to whisper amongst themselves. Then Sokka began to bind Zuko's hands. Toph cursed. They were going to fall right into his plan! The two boys began to head up to the top of the mountain, right up to where they were.

Toph looked desperately at Katara. _Don't_, she mouthed.

Katara shook her head. _It'll be okay._

Toph facepalmed with her free hand. The ropes were digging into her wrist, but that was the least of her problems. Toph wished desperately that she could bend, and send this guy tumbling off the hillside.

Sokka and Zuko made it to the edge of the cliff. The lieutenant kept his fist of flames close to the ropes, daring to burn them if they made once false move.

He glared at Sokka. "Leave."

Sokka began to climb back down the mountain. Zuko stood and glared into his lieutenant's eyes, but not for long. The chi-blocker swung a few fast punches, and suddenly Zuko was on his knees, defenseless. Zuko looked down into Toph's eyes. He looked determined, but it was masked by fear.

_Stupid_, Toph thought. _They're all stupid. Zuko's worth more than I am. They don't need me!_

"We've done what you asked of us," Aang called. "Now let Toph go."

The lieutenant stood above Toph. Toph looked up into his eyes. The man looked at her for a minute, and then looked back down, straight at Aang.

"Trust is for fools, Avatar."

The lieutenant shot a blast of fire at the ropes. Toph screamed and began to plunge. She grabbed desperately at the hillside with her hands, and managed to send her fall into more of a tumble. She tumbled down until she miraculously landed on another ledge. Hard. Her chest exploded. Bruises were on her body. Her ribs ached. But she was alive. For now.

Toph groaned and sat up. She looked down at her friends. Sokka was scrambling over toward them. Katara had her water drawn. Suki and Mai drew their weapons. Aang's expression was…dark. His teeth were gritted. His fists were clenched. Something bad was about to happen…

And it did.

Aang's eyes began to glow. His tattoos lit up too. Rage, pain, frustration – all of it was etched into his face. Air began to billow around him. Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Mai knew what was happening. The four of them ran for cover as a gigantic sphere of air began to encase Aang. Rocks flew around him. Water – drawn from the few desert plants in the canyon – was added. A circle of flames appeared too, until Aang was in a little ball of four elements – air, water, earth, and fire.

Every joint in Toph's body turned to ice. She'd heard Aang go into the Avatar State before. She could feel him do it – he was usually in the air when it had happened. But now she wished she had never seen him do this.

Aang was terrifying. He was scary. He looked like he was going to murder someone, and the glowing of his eyes didn't help.

The Avatar rose in his ball of four elements, soaring into the air above her. Aang spoke, but it wasn't just his voice. A much deeper voice spoke in unison with him, making him all the more terrifying.

"YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE BETRAYED ME!" the Avatar's voice bellowed, the voice of all the past Avatar's echoing with him. "NOBODY HURTS MY FRIENDS!"

Toph watched as the lieutenant scrambled. He picked up the limp Zuko and held him in front of his body as a shield. The lieutenant created a ball of fire. "Don't come closer!" he said, his voice cracking. "I'll kill him!"

Aang roared, and a blast of the four elements shot at the lieutenant. Zuko wasn't spared. The two firebenders crashed into the mountainside, thrown back from the blast.

_Poor Zuko_, Toph thought offhandedly. _Chi-blocked. Defenseless. Being used as an object of trade. Now he's getting blasted by his own friend. Tough luck_.

Aang flew forward and grabbed the lieutenant by his throat, and threw him down, thirty feet into the canyon floor. The earth cushioned his fall. Aang earthbended him into a kneeling position, and locked his hands and feet securely into the ground.

_Taught him everything he knows_, Toph thought. _That's my Twinkletoes, my prodigy_.

Aang flew down in front of the man. The four elements around him dropped, and his air sphere dissipated. Aang put one hand on the man's forehead, and another on his heart. Blue light glowed. There was a hint of red, but it was mainly blue.

There wasn't a doubt in Toph's mind – Aang was taking away the lieutenant's bending.

When the light stopped, the earth sunk back in. The lieutenant collapsed. Aang's knees buckled. He looked pale, and Toph thought he was going to drop for a second. Instead, he used a puff of hair to fly up to the ledge she was on. Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Mai began to emerge.

Aang helped her up. "Are you okay?"

Toph stared at him. "You just took…you just…"

"I know."

Toph studied Aang. He seemed harmless, but Toph knew not to underestimate him. He only got into the Avatar State if he knew someone he loved was being threatened. She remembered the first time he went into the Avatar State, back in the desert, when the sandbenders had stolen Appa.

"Was it because of me?" Toph asked. "Did I bring on the Avatar State?"

Aang nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry you had to see me that way. But…" Aang gritted his teeth. "You're my friend, Toph. One of my best friends. I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I got so angry when he went back on his deal, when I saw you falling."

Toph clutched her aching ribs. "I'm not that important," she grunted. "I'm just the scrappy earthbender who you guys keep around of butt-kicking. Why would you guys risk Zuko for me?"

"You're more than just butt-kicking Toph, although you're pretty good at that. We weren't going to let him kill you. You're our friend. You're unique. It wouldn't be the same without you. We love you, Toph."

Toph looked down at her friends, and back at Aang. "I've never had a friend until I met you…" she smiled. "But I now know I couldn't have any better ones in the world." She hugged him. "Thanks, Aang."

Aang returned the hug. Once they released, Toph punched him.

"I thought you said you weren't going to earthbend around me, Twinkletoes," Toph said. "I told you that's not cool."

Aang rolled his eyes, and made an earthbending slide for them to go down on. "This is the last time, I promise. C'mon, let's take a ride."

Toph was about to slide down, when a voice came from above. "Oh don't mind me," Zuko said. "Just the king of the fire nation, chi-blocked up here."

Toph laughed. "Go get him," she said, and slid down the earth slide.

Aang grinned, and flew up to save Zuko. He brought him back to the ledge, and set him down on his feet.

"I'm sorry for arguing back at the temple," Aang said, scratching his head. "It was immature of me."

Zuko sighed. He was shaken up and disheveled. "Me too, Aang," he said. "I was just so angry about the lieutenant…" fire danced on his fingertips. "I can't believe I was that stupid. Uprisings, Aang. I should've believed the rumors. You may have killed Ozai, but the world isn't at peace just yet. I fear another war could be upon us."

The Avatar shifted his feet. "After our vacation we'll head back to your palace. Maybe there's something we can do about the uprisings."

Zuko nodded in agreement.

The seven friends reunited, sharing hugs and group hugs all around. Katara healed most of Toph's wounds, even though she was still a little achy from the fall.

"What now?" Katara asked, helping Toph up from healing her.

"We should go back to the temple," Aang said.

"And do what?" Mai asked gloomily.

Zuko covered his face. "Absolutely nothing. Vacations are supposed to be a break, and this has been anything but that. I'm doing nothing tomorrow. Absolutely nothing."

"What do we do with him?" Suki asked, pointing at the lieutenant on the ground. He had passed out after Aang took away his bending.

"Take him," Toph said. "Tie him up. Knock him out."

Katara looked confused. "Why?"

Toph cracked her knuckles. "Because I've got a score to settle."

* * *

**Hmm. That was long. I hope I didn't ramble on and on about irrelevant stuff. I do that sometimes. Blame my ADHD.**

**Aaaanyways, I was trying (badly) to maybe, MAYBE set up an attempt for a sequel to this. Or another story to go along with it. You know, the whole uprisings and some of the fire nation revolting against Zuko. If, I ever want to do another fanfiction (meh) I could use that as a storyline. I don't know. Perhaps.**

**Thanks for reading, for those who are still following. Two more chaps left, and I'm SOO excited for the last one :-D**


	10. The Last Day of Sight

**Hello hello!**

**This chapter hated me, but liked me at the same time. I always get an idea in my head, start to write it, and then it takes an unexpected turn and goes out of control.**

**Sorry for the shabbiness. I should've worked a little harder. I'll try my hardest for this last chapter.**

**Thanks for all the reviews and such, I really do appreciate it all!**

**********DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do.**

* * *

The next day was pretty much a relaxed day – due to Zuko's insistence. Toph spent time with each of her friends, goofing around, laughing, and etching the image of everyone into her brain for all eternity.

The lieutenant earthbound into a room in the Western Air Temple (those peaceful nomads didn't build a dungeon) and everyone kept taking quick peeks at him. Toph was already planning her revenge on him. _Teach him to call me little girl_, she thought.

When sundown finally hit, Katara suggested they go somewhere.

"Nooooo," Zuko moaned, lying face down on his sleeping mat. "No going anywhere. No doing anything. No fighting. No social interaction. No talking. No breathing."

"Sounds like my kind of day," Mai grumbled, using the prostrate Zuko as a backrest.

Aang was airbending Momo in a little tornado. Sokka and Suki were making out. Toph had stolen Sokka's boomerang, and was patiently waiting for him to realize it was gone and begin to freak out.

"Where to?" Aang asked, shooting Momo on top of Appa.

"To sleep," Zuko mumbled, his voice muffled. "For all eternity. And beyond. And into the next galaxy after that. And after that. And after that…"

"Well," Katara said quietly. "I was thinking we should go to the crystal caves again. All of us."

Suki looked up. "That sounds like a great idea."

Zuko didn't sounds pleased. "Not…moving…"

Mai jabbed his side. "Get up. You haven't done anything all day. We're going."

Sokka suddenly jumped to his feet. "Where's my boomerang?!"

Toph edged her way towards Appa, the fugitive boomerang concealed inside her clothes. She hadn't messed with Sokka for a couple days. She couldn't even crack a blind joke on him now that she could see. If she didn't mess with that goof sooner or later, he was going to start thinking she didn't like him. Couldn't have that happening around here.

Aang followed Toph's lead. "I want to see them again. Besides, there's something I want to show you guys." He pointed at Zuko." On your feet, lazylord Zuko. We're going on another trip."

PAGE BREAK

Rainbows had always sounded boring and sappy to Toph, but they turned out to be really amazing.

They landed Appa near this cave that was in between two massive waterfalls. The water spilled over the rocky Cliffside and into a beautiful lake below. Crystals were lined the cave and on the rocks. According to Katara the Water Master, sunlight reflected through the crystals with the water and created myriad blasts of rainbows all around them. Or something along those lines. Toph lost interest when she started to ramble.

They all stood in the caves, examining the rays of rainbows all around them. They were beautiful. All of the brightest colors Toph had learned – red, orange, yellow, green blue, and purple. The sun was setting in the sky, so they lit up like an awesome light show. Toph was enthralled. It was by far the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

"Hey Zuko," Aang said, admiring the beauty. "Want to make this look even more beautiful?" He pointed to the lines of torches on the sides of the caves.

Zuko seemed to understand. Together, the firebenders lit up the torches inside the cave. Toph watched in amazement as the colors seemed to change in tone. The rainbows began to mix and swirl. The colors spun around, twirling around in the air, creating balls and streams and several other weird shapes.

Everyone was amazed, and began to smile and laugh at the sight. Toph laughed along too, reaching her hand out, trying to touch all of the colors.

"Do rainbows always do this?" Toph asked with a laugh.

"No," Aang said, smiling as he watched the colors. "Rainbows are usually just one ray hanging in the sky, but caves are magic. I came here once a long time ago, before I froze in the iceberg. I was visiting the Western Air Temple and went for a stroll with some of my friends. We found this place, and thought the rainbows were amazing. We lit the torches with our spark rocks, and then the colors started to swirl, like they were dancing. Turns out the fire ignites the magic, and you get your very own color show."

The seven of them had formed a circle, watching the lights from inside the cave. Toph couldn't tear her eyes from the sight, as well as everyone else. Sokka and Suki were holding hands. Mai and Zuko were actually smiling – the punk rock couple from the fire nation. Katara was enjoying the sights, while Aang appeared to be in deep thought.

"Got an idea?" she asked him. He grinned.

Aang stepped in the middle of the seven friends. He waterbended some water from his pouch, and dispersed them into the air, suspending them in tiny little droplets. He turned his hand in a circle, and created spinning air marbles. He shot them up into the water, and they swayed together in sync. There was a slight rumble, and the crystals from the cave flew out of wall, up into the light show, too. Aang blew a breath of fire, and began to control all of the elements together: air, water, earth, and fire. They all watched in amazement at the sight. Stunning colors. Beautiful elements. Light, dark, colors, elements, life – all of it began to dance in harmony, offsetting and meriting the parts of each other.

It was the most beautiful thing Toph had ever seen.

Everyone was smiling, with Toph's smile being the biggest. She looked at all of her friends, the friends she'd made over the past year, and come know and love throughout their entire journey.

Katara. Her best girlfriend. They fought together like brothers, but loved each other like sisters. Her memories began to shimmer. When they had pulled that scam, and they were sitting in that wooden cage. Making up after that stupid fight, and hugging like they'd known each other their enire life. Katara teaching her who and what things were. Colors. Light. Dark. Her aura. Her beautiful aura. Katara was beautiful, inside and out, kind, patient, and loyal more than anything. She'd been Toph's friend for who she was, and that meant more to Toph than being able to see.

Sokka. That goofball Sokka. She remembered how it felt during the final battle. Holding on to Sokka's hands, her fingers beginning to slip. The water sloshing below her. The enemies beginning to advance. Feeling the flames of a fire, and the sound of Aang screaming in the distance as he battle Ozai. _It looks like this is the end_, she heard Sokka said.

Slipping on the cliff a few days ago. Looking up into his eyes. Knowing that no matter what Sokka did, she would never lose his friendship. He cared for her. And he still cares for her.

Zuko. She remembered when she'd sensed those little fire nation feet at the Western Air Temple. Hearing his story. Doubting, but knowing he wasn't lying. His change, from an angry jerk constantly trying to kill him, to joining their side in the end.

Sitting by the fire next to him as he explained his story. Understanding his past, and coming to know who and what had shaped the fire lord next to her today. When he'd given himself up to the lieutenant for her. Zuko trusted her, enough to explain his past. And he cared for her enough to give himself up. Although he always has self-confliction, he always tries to do what's best for the people he loves.

Mai and Suki. Suki had never underestimated or doubted her. Everyone else had doubted Toph, until they'd seen her fight. Suki wasn't like that. She seemed to know how she was and what she could do, and never doubted her. She was accepted, no matter who or what she was. And although she barely knew Mai, she knew Mai was a fighter, and had some sort of personality beneath her amazing gloominess.

Aang. Her first friend. Although he had only doubted her slightly at first, he didn't underestimate her. He cared for her. Just like Katara, Sokka, and the others. She was more to him than just a butt-kicker, even if she was awesome that. He was a true, genuine, loyal friend, and would go at all costs to keep it that way.

These were her friends. These were the people she loved. These were the people she would run to during trouble.

This was her family.

When Aang finished his show, the seven of them formed an unspoken group hug. They weren't just friends. They were family. Forever.

Slowly, the seven of them exited the cave, and began to head towards Appa.

Toph had experienced a lot of things with being able to see. She had been able to explore new heights, see her friends, and comprehend things in a different way.

But not only that, Toph had grown closer to her family. Yes, she was able to see them – which was pretty cool. But being able to see had also helped Toph understand her friends more. She learned their past. Discussed their future. Strengthened their connection. She'd uncovered an unbreakable bond with each of them, a bond that could never be broken.

Perhaps Toph learned to see her family in more ways than just one.

PAGE BREAK

When Sokka was on the edge of tears, Toph gave it up.

It was the next day – her last day of sight – and her goofy little friend was going bonkers with the absence of his boomerang. He was going on a rampage, tearing his bed and belongings apart, searching desperately for his weapon that was still sealed beneath Toph's clothes.

"It was by my pack," Sokka moaned, shoving his face into Appa's fur. "I swear it was there…"

The seven friends had spent the most of the day talking. They had reminisced about things of the past. They discussed the present – the uprisings, Toph's school, what's going on in Kyoshi Island. They also talked about the future – where everyone hoped to be, what their plans were, and what they wanted to be doing.

The group had then split up and dispersed throughout the Western Air Temple. They all knew what was coming. Toph and Aang were going to cross over. Toph would get her bending back, but she would never be able to see again.

Sokka lifted his head from Appa's fur. "Boomeranggg," he wailed.

Having seen enough, Toph took out the boomerang from her clothes. She threw the weapon at an angle. Toph waited patiently. She laughed as the boomerang flew back and smacked Sokka in the back the head, sending him on his butt.

Sokka was rising to his feet, ready to rejoice and accuse at the same moment, when Aang slipped into the main hall.

"Toph," the Avatar said. "The sun's going down. It's…it's time."

All of team Avatar gathered together at the main hall. They hugged Toph individually, and then embraced together in a big group hug.

"I'll be back," Toph said. "Good as new."

The Gaang said their goodbyes, and then took place at a careful distance, as if watching a play. Toph sat down in front of Aang. They both crossed their legs.

"Take my hands," Aang directed.

Toph held Aang's hands in hers. She looked into his eyes. Simultaneously, they closed them. A minute passed. Two. Toph didn't feel anything. She was going to open her eyes and ask Aang what was wrong, but when she opened her eyes, they weren't there anymore.

They were in the spirit world.

Aang stood and offered her a hand. "Come on," he said.

The spirit world looked…weird. They were in some sort of jungle, and everything looked…blurred. Toph followed Aang, taking step after step, stair after stair, and path after path. She had no idea where they were going, but Aang seemed to understand. She followed him, forcing each step after another, traversing towards their destination.

At last, they arrived.

The Cave of Two Lovers. The home of Oma and Shu. The place where it all started.

Toph was about to ask if the rock was going to come from the ground again, but that didn't happen. Oma and Shu materialized in front of them, straight up from the ground, the spirits of the first earthbenders. Aang and Toph did a bow.

"I see you have made use with the time you were given," the spirit of Oma said.

Shu nodded in agreement. "We have made use with your earthbending as well, Toph Beifong. We have learned much. We have connected with the earth. We have become wiser, and more experienced."

Toph bowed again. "Thank-you, masters," she said.

"We are prepared to offer you another deal."

Toph lifted her head. "What?"

Oma swished her hand in a spirit-like motion. "Toph, you have learned much from your seven days of sight. We have learned much from our seven days with your earthbending. It has been wonderful, and I can tell it is the same for you."

"What are you saying?"

"It could be this way," Shu said. "Forever."

For a quick, horrible second, Toph hesitated.

She'd never been ashamed for being blind. She loved the way she was – the blind, keen, sneaky earthbender. But for the first time in her life, she had been able to see. The world. Her friends. Her life. It was so…wonderful.

Toph looked at her Aang. She had already made her decision. Her mind was set. There was no turning back

But, she wanted to know what Aang had to say. Her friend bit his lip.

"Toph," the Avatar said. "I know the fact that you can see for the first time is wonderful. You've admitted that. And as cool as it would be for you to have your sight…" Aang rubbed the back of his head. "It's not you, Toph. You have a unique ability. You can do things that no one else can. You've learned to accomplish something that we've always admired and enjoyed. It's your way of life, and it's…it's amazing." Aang cleared his throat. "The decision is up to you, but…I just thought I'd let you know that we love you for who you are."

Toph grinned and punched Aang in the arm. "Thanks for the speech, Twinkletoes. But my mind has been set since day one. I'm getting my bending back."

Aang grinned. The two of them turned to the spirits, who looked disappointed, yet awed at the same time.

"So it shall be," Oma said with a sigh. "As spirits, we shall keep our word, and uphold our end of the deal."

The two spirits spoke together, like they had done seven days ago. "Seven days of sight," they said. "In exchange for seven days without earthbending. This has been decreed. This has been done. Seven days have passed. The deal has been fulfilled. And all shall return to normal."

Aang prepared for the magic this time. He sat down and covered his face and his eyes, feeling the explosion of magic erupt around him. He waited a solid five minutes until it was over, and then opened his eyes.

Toph was out cold. Oma and Shu floated in front of him, looking down.

"Thank-you Avatar," they said. "For bringing her here. Much more will come. Seek your advisor. And take care of Toph Beifong. She is too valuable a friend to lose."

Aang stood and bowed, and the spirits left into mist.

He picked up Toph and began to carry her back to their bodies. She was limp in his arms, unmoving, unspeaking. She probably wouldn't wake up until they left the spirit world, just like last time. Aang was almost to their destination when a voice spoke from the water.

"Aang," the voice said, its tone clear and cryptic.

Aang almost dropped Toph. He set her down gingerly, and then peered at the water on the edge of the path.

It was Roku!

His past life formed out of mist, standing before him. Roku had small scowl on his face, but he seemed to look pleased at the same time. Just like Oma and Shu?

"Where have you been?" Aang asked him. "I figured out how to take people into the spirit world. I wanted you to meet some people, but you weren't here."

"Your discovery is incredulous," Roku admitted. "Brining people into the spirit world is a magnificent feat, young Avatar. But you must be careful, Aang. You are the bridge between the mortal world and the spirit world. You keep the balance, and maintain the order. If spirits come into the mortal world, havoc can inflict. In return, bringing mortals into the spirit world is dangerous as well."

"Is that why you haven't spoken to me?" Aang questioned.

"Yes. You needed to figure out a few things on your own. But now that you can bring mortals into the spirit world easily, you must be warned. You were lucky nothing bad happened with the exchange between your friend and the first earthbenders. Mortals and spirits don't mix easily, Aang. Sometimes they will be killed, like what happened to the moon and the ocean spirit. That is a reason why you are here, Aang. You must always be able to keep balance, now that you have discovered this."

Aang shook his head. "I would never do anything to harm anyone. Or the spirit world. Or the mortal world. And especially my friends."

"I know." Roku smiled at his courage. "But still, take warning. You must be present at all times when you bring mortals into the spirit world. Because if something were to happen between spirits and mortals, like what happened with your friend…" Roku hesitated. "It could be catastrophic. The world could become unbalanced. Your friend could've gone insane, and Oma and Shu could've passed from existence. Great evil can come from something like this. But also…" his trailed his sentence, waiting for Aang to finish.

Aang thought for a hard moment. "Or something good could happen," he said. "Like Toph being able to see, and Oma and Shu learning her earthbending." Aang grinned. "And Iroh. Zuko told me his uncle Iroh travelled here once, and gained much wisdom on the spirits."

"Exactly so, Aang. Either good will come out of it, or bad. Promise me you will be careful when you do this."

Aang bowed to his past life. "I promise, Roku."

Roku smiled. "Thank-you, Aang. In return for your word I suppose I could do you some help…"

Roku waved his hand, and the world around Aang spun. Suddenly he was back at the platform they'd first arrived at, next to their bodies.

Aang set Toph down, and then slipped into his own body, back to the mortal world…

PAGE BREAK

When Toph opened her eyes, there was nothing.

She slowly blinked herself into consciousness, and her senses came back to her. Her earthbending had returned. Her sight was gone. She could sense Aang in front of her, and the rest of their friends off to her right. She could sense their anxiousness. They'd wanted to know if everything was okay.

Aang and Toph stood up together. Toph grinned at him, and then turned to her family.

"I've missed feeling you guys," she said, opening her arms for a hug. "Now hip-hop your little feet over here, team Avatar. It's time for another group hug."

The seven of them laughed, and then encircled together for another hug. Toph grinned. These were her friends. This was her family. And even though she couldn't see, Aang was right – Toph was unique. She saw the world in a way nobody else did. Being blind wasn't a disability – it was a difference.

It was who she was.

"Welcome back, Toph," Aang said, squeezing the family in even tighter. "Welcome back."

* * *

**Mah. I could've had a better ending. Oh well, it's not completely over yet, I've got my favorite chapter coming up next, and hopefully I can get it to sound okay :D**

**I keep putting up hints to a possible sequel, although I'm not sure what it would be about. I like the idea of Aang taking people with him into the spirit world. Maybe I'll do little stories about each member of team Avatar going on their own journey, and uncovering things about themselves. Possibly. What do you guys think?**

**Thanks to all who are still reading, I really appreciate it!**


	11. Seven Minutes of Sight

**THE FINAL CHAPTER!**

**This was extremely difficult to write. The character's are a bit OC...sorta. Um, anyway, if you haven't watched anything Legend of Korra this may not make any sense to you at all. Buuuut hopefully you'll understand it a little bit.**

**Enjoy ;)**

******DISCLAIMER - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and give all rights to the amazing people who do**

* * *

_Twelve Years Later…_

Toph hadn't planned on working today.

Being the chief of police in Republic City, Toph was accustomed to getting random calls for her assistance. She had taken the day off, hoping to relax, but her second-in-command had called her saying he needed help. Toph had dropped her daughter off at Aang and Katara's house, so she could play with Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi. She then located her lieutenant, helped him lock down in on a criminal, beat him up, – the best part –and then imprisoned him.

Toph picked up her daughter – Lin Beifong – and went back to their cozy little home, right on the edge of the Republic City, facing Air Temple Island. She was making a quick snack for Lin, who was sitting at the table, practicing her earthbending.

"Mommy," Lin said. "What do you think of my picture?"

Toph set down Lin's snack and took the stone tablet from her daughter. This was the way Toph had taught Lin to make pictures – by earthbending. Lin had molded designs and shapes into the tablet, and managed to fuse some metal inside it, too. Toph could tell by the outline she'd earthbended a picture of her, holding Lin's hand. She'd used metal to offset little details – hair, clothes, and the ground. It felt wonderful.

"This looks great, sweetie," Toph said, ruffling Lin's hair. "Are you finished with it?"

The four-year old took the tablet from her mother, and molded something else on it. She handed it back to Toph.

"There, I made a rainbow," her little voice said.

Toph smiled and ran her hand across the rainbow arc. It was just like the ones she'd seen so many years ago, back near the Western Air Temple.

"Perfect," Toph said. "Let me put it on the fire place."

Toph walked over to their fire brazier and set the tablet next to the other pictures Lin had made. They were all beautiful, intricately designed and carefully molded. Toph had taught her daughter well.

"Our family will be here in a few minutes," Toph said, stepping away from the fireplace. "Sokka wants us all to watch a probending match together, because it's the one-year anniversary of Republic City." Toph smiled, remembering the day that the city had been founded. "I'm going to take off my armor – are you ready to go, Lin?"

"Yes mommy," Lin said. Toph could feel her daughter shifting in her chair. "Can you braid my hair?"

"Of course, sweetie."

Toph went into her room, and slipped out of her metal armor. She put it away in an old chest, hooking it inside. She was turning back to go into the kitchen, when a voice spoke to her.

"Toph Beifong," the voice said.

Toph froze. That voice… it was so familiar. She pulled up a piece of the earth and held it ready. She couldn't sense anyone around her – unless Aang or Tenzin was floating on an air scooter. But that wasn't either of their voices…

"Put down your weapon," the voice said, strong and steady. It was a strange voice. It sounded like two people were speaking at one, through one body. Like when Aang went into the Avatar state.

Suddenly, Toph recognized the voice. She put the earth back into the ground, and glared ardently out in front of her.

"Where are you?" she demanded.

Abruptly, her senses vanished. She couldn't feel the earth anymore. She couldn't sense anything around her. Her earthbending – it just vanished.

Things began to materialize in front of her. Toph blinked furiously, over and over. Things were there. She could see them. She could _see_!

A spirit appeared in front of her. It was Oma. No, it was Shu. It was…it was Omashu. The spirits had combined. They were one!

"Seven minutes of sight," they said together. "In exchange for seven minutes without earthbending. This has been decreed."

The spirits vanished in a blast of light.

PAGE BREAK

Lin was working on a new earthbending tablet. She molded the tablet into different shapes – circles, squares, triangles. She changed the shape into a house. Then a dog. Then a person. At last she made it back into a square tablet, and began to carve a new earthbending design.

Something began to shine in front of Lin. Lin looked up. The air in front of her. It was…glowing. Lin quickly molded her tablet into a pointy stick, in case she needed a weapon. A spirit appeared in front of her. With a shock, Lin realized it was Oma and Shu – Omashu.

Uncle Aang – or as her mother called him, "Uncle Twinkletoes" – had always told them bedtime stories when she stayed the night with Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin. The four kids would cuddle up under a bunch of blankets, and listen to Uncle Aang tell tales about spirits and monsters. He would always earthbend visual pictures of the spirits he'd met. Lin had always loved it when Aang told her about Omashu, the first earthbenders. It was her favorite story.

Her mother also told her the story about the deal she'd made twelve years ago – seven days of sight, for seven days without her bending. Lin thought it was cool that her mother had met the spirits Oma and Shu.

And here they were, right in front of her – Omashu. Together as one, floating right by her kitchen table. Lin dropped her pointy stick. These were the nice spirits.

"Lin Beifong," they said. "Your mother has been granted seven minutes of sight, for seven minutes without her earthbending. She will be able to see things. She will be able to see _you_."

Lin wasn't afraid of spirits, especially not Omashu. With her crazy family, spirits were the least weird things she'd seen in her short four years.

"She might be overwhelmed," the spirits continued. "Just keep her calm, and do what you always do."

Lin wasn't sure what to say. She stood and did a bow, like Aunt Katara had taught her to do, to respect her elders.

The spirits vanished. Lin sat down and continued her tablet, like nothing had ever happened.

PAGE BREAK

Toph pitched forward, but quickly caught herself before she could collapse. Things. She was seeing things. She looked to her right. A bed. And there – a chair. Door. Toph walked toward the door. It was right in front of her. She could see it. Toph opened it up and walked out into the hallway. She knew her house well enough to get around. She traced her hand on the wall, and entered the kitchen.

Memories began to rush back to her. Couch. Chair. Table. Colors. Light. Dark. She could hear Katara's young voice in her mind, teaching her about thing things around her. People. Someone was here. A girl. A little girl was sitting in a chair at the table, working at another stone tablet.

Her daughter.

Toph could barely force out her words. "Lin," she said.

Her daughter turned to look at her.

Toph wanted to sob.

Her daughter was beautiful. She was so little, so small. Her big green eyes were opened wide, innocent and curious. Her black hair was short and wavy, reaching to about her shoulders. She looked just the way Toph had when she was younger, the moment she saw herself in that icy reflection.

"Lin," Toph said.

Toph rushed forward, scooped up her daughter, and embraced her in a massive hug. Her daughter held onto her neck, like she always did, hugging her close.

"Omashu came," Lin said, looking into her mother's eyes. "She said you could see for seven minutes. Just like you did when you were a kid."

Toph set her daughter down on the table and examined her. Such beautiful, intelligent eyes. Such a wide, open mind. Kids. A spirit showed up to talk to her, and she didn't even seem fazed at all. That's her girl.

Toph held onto her daughter's hands. "I can see," she told her. "Lin, you are beautiful. Do I tell you that enough? You're beautiful. So beautiful. You look just like I did, when I was younger. You're the most amazing and special little girl in the world. You're so beautiful."

Toph held onto Lin, keeping her daughter close, and continued to tell her how beautiful she looked. Lin took her mother's hand, hopped down, and showed her the earthbending picture's she'd made. Toph ran her finger across them, smiling, admiring the beauty.

"I love you, Lin," Toph said, picking up her daughter again. "You look just like I imagined. You are so beautiful."

Lin held onto her mother tightly. Then there was a knock at the door.

Toph froze. "Who is it?" she yelled.

"It's us," Aang's voice said. "Can we come in? I've got the whole team here. Um, Omashu appeared to us on the way over here. They said…"

"Come in!" Toph said. She put Lin back on the table and scurried to the door. "Come in here, now!"

One by one, seven people entered Toph's home. Toph stopped and stared at them. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Aang wasn't a kid anymore. Even though his voice changed, she still had the image of that goofy, young, warrior-like kid in her brain. Now he was strong, tall, and older. He had a bit of a beard, and his arms were muscular. But his eyes still held that deep, sensitive look. He smiled at her.

Katara had matured immensely. She was tall and strong, but still slender like always. She had filled out, was fully rounded, and looked like a full-grown woman. Much different than the teenager she'd seen twelve years ago.

Toph almost had a coronary when she saw Sokka. All this time she still had a thin, lean, awkward looking guy in her head. Soft features and lopsided grin. Now his features were regal, and stern. He was still silly and sarcastic, but his muscles were bulging, and he was serious when the time needed to be.

Zuko hadn't changed too much. Sure, he wasn't a teenager anymore. He was more built and stronger. But Zuko was about seventeen when she'd last seen him, almost a man. His hair was a little longer, and up in his royal topknot. His scar was still there, but it almost looked a little faded.

Mai looked more womanly than the last time. She smiled more, and was less gloomy. Suki still had a smile, giggly smile, but she had matured as well.

"Is it true?" Katara asked her. "Can…can you see us?"

Toph shook herself out of her trance. "You guys…look…"

"Different?" Zuko asked.

Toph felt tears drip down her face. "Group hug," she demanded. "Now."

Team Avatar embraced together. Toph smiled and cried as she looked at their faces. A flashback shot through her mind. There they were, twelve years ago, at the Western Air Temple. The seven of them embracing one last time. She saw their young faces, smiling and happy, altogether as a family. Their faces changed. Now, they were older. But they were still a family.

Toph stepped back. "Go to the probending match," she ordered. "I'll…I'll catch up with you."

"Are you sure?" Sokka asked her, his voice deep.

Toph nodded. "Please. I want to spend these last minutes…with my daughter."

Toph examined their faces one last time, and watched solemnly as they exited her house. She turned back to her daughter, and held her hands tightly.

"I've only got about two more minutes, sweetie," she said, brushing the hair off her face.

A tear fell down Lin's face. "Why can't they just give you sight?" her daughter said. "Why can't it always be like this?"

"Shh." Toph kissed her daughter's forehead. "Please. Just enjoy the time we have."

Toph spent her last minutes of sight with her daughter. She braided her hair. She kissed her cheek. She caressed and loved her one and only daughter, keeping her tight, drinking in the sight of her face.

Toph held onto her daughter's hands and kissed her forehead. "You're so beautiful, Lin," Toph said. "You are so beautiful. I love you so much."

As Toph drank in the sight of her beautiful daughter, her sight began to fade away from her.

"Seven minutes of sight," she heard Omashu say. "In exchange for seven minutes without earthbending. This has been decreed. This has been done. Seven minutes have passed. The deal has been fulfilled. And all shall return to normal."

As her last glimpse of sight vanished, the last thing she saw was her daughter – her beautiful, Lin Beifong.

Her bending returned. Her sight was gone. She could feel her daughter on the table, waiting patiently.

"It's over," Toph whispered.

She heard the sound of Lin crying. "That's not fair," she whispered. "You should be able to see all the time."

Toph embraced her daughter tightly. "Lin," she whispered. "The best things in this life cannot be seen. They cannot be heard. They cannot be touched. They must be felt with the heart. Lin, you are my beautiful daughter. Your aura, your heart – that's what makes you beautiful. My blindness isn't a defective, daughter. It's a difference. I can still see you, but not the way you do. And I love you so much."

Toph wiped the tears from her daughter's eyes. She picked up Lin, and headed out the door to her house.

Today was the anniversary of Republic City.

Today, Toph was going to spend the evening with her family.

Today, Toph had met the spirits of Omashu.

Today, Toph had been able to see.

Today, Toph saw her family.

Today, Toph saw her daughter.

Nothing else seemed mattered anymore. She had a home. She had a family. And most importantly, Toph had a beautiful, wonderful, and amazing daughter.

All of that meant more than being able to see.

And she wouldn't trade it for the world.

* * *

**From the moment I decided to write this story, I knew that Toph just HAD to see her daughter. She HAD to. Not wanted to. HAD to. The idea was a bit better inside my head, and it might've come out a little clunky, but I hope I made it all work somehow.**

**For those of you who are going to ask about Lin's father, I just thought I'd give an explanation. I decided to keep Toph's husband in the dark for this story. I tried to make everything canon, and since we have no idea who the husband is, where he is, and what happened, I decided to just leave him out of it. If I knew about him I'd write him in, but since he's not technically a character, I kept him out.**

**For those of you who have managed to follow my story this whole time, THANK YOU SO MUCH. If you wouldn't mind giving me an overall review, I'd appreciate it. Thanks for sticking with me, it means a lot, it being my first fanfiction.**

**As for a sequel, I'll have to think about that in time. My boyfriend has his leave in about a ten days, so I'm kinda gonna toss my laptop aside and spend time with him. (AND THE MARK OF ATHENA COMES OUT IT ONE WEEK. WHOO-HOO!)**

**I will still noodle ideas, and perhaps I'll come out with another fic soon. **

**Thanks again, everyone! **


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